Direct Synthesis of N-H Carbazoles via Iridium(III)-Catalyzed Intramolecular C-H Amination

The iridium-catalyzed dehydrogenative cyclization of 2-aminobiphenyls proceeds smoothly in the presence of a copper cocatalyst under air as a terminal oxidant through intramolecular direct C-H amination to produce N-H carbazoles. A similar iridium/copper system can also catalyze the unprecedented dimerization reaction of 2-aminobiphenyl involving 2-fold C-H/N-H couplings.