An Expeditious Approach to Tetrazoles from Amides Utilizing Phosphorazidates

A novel method was developed for the synthesis of tetrazoles from amides utilizing diphenyl phosphorazidate or bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphorazidate as both the activator of amide-oxygen for elimination and azide source. Various amides were converted into the corresponding tetrazoles in good yields. This synthetic method allows to prepare 1,5-disubstituted and 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles from various amides without the use of toxic or explosive reagents.