Electrochemical, Iodine-Mediated α-CH Amination of Ketones by Umpolung of Silyl Enol Ethers

The electrochemical, oxidative Umpolung reaction of silyl enol ethers utilizing simple iodide salts for the synthesis of alpha-amino ketones is described. The products were isolated in excellent yields of up to 100%, and various functionalized starting materials were accepted in an undivided electrochemical cell design. Moreover, a sensitivity assessment to ensure an improved reproducibility of the reaction and cyclic voltammetry experiments were performed to postulate a plausible reaction mechanism on their basis.