A Novel Route to Synthesize N,N-Dimethyl Arylmethylamines from Aryl Aldehydes, Hexamethylenetetramine and Hydrogen†

The Summary of main observation and conclusion Developing simple and green routes to access valuable chemicals is of significance. Herein, we present a green and novel route to synthesize N,N-dimethyl arylmethylamines (DAMAs) from hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and aryl aldehydes in the presence of hydrogen, and a series of DAMAs can be obtained in good yields. This approach opens the precedent for HMTA as N,N-dimethylamine source to synthesize chemicals with N,N-dimethylamine group, which has promising applications for N-containing chemicals synthesis.