Recent Advances of Transition Metal-Catalyzed Aerobic Dehydrative Reactions of Alcohols and Amines and Related Researches

In comparison with other methods, transition metal-catalyzed dehydrative N-alkylation of amines and amides with alcohols, commonly known as the borrowing hydrogen or hydrogen autotransfer reactions and the methodology, is a comparatively green and atom-economic method for the synthesis of the useful amine and amide derivatives. Recently, transition metal-catalyzed aerobic dehydrative N-alkylation method has also attracted much attention, for the reactions can be readily conducted under milder and simpler conditions by using the more stable metal catalysts under the air atmosphere. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of transition metal-catalyzed aerobic dehydrative C-N and C=N bond forming reactions of alcohols with amines and amides for the synthesis of the amine and amide derivatives and imines, as well as those of the related aerobic dehydrative C-alkylation reactions. Mechanisms of the above reactions are also discussed.