Selective hydroformylation of N-allylacetamide in an inverted aqueous two-phase catalytic system, enabling a short synthesis of melatonin

Water increases the selectivity in the Rh-phosphine catalysed hydroformylation of N-allylacetamide; an aqueous-organic biphasic system, containing a hydrophobic Rh-catalyst, provided facile catalyst/product separation, after which the aqueous product phase could be used in a one-pot synthesis of N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (melatonin).