Dehydrative Cross-Coupling for C-N Bond Construction under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions

A transition-metal-free catalytic system was designed to address the dehydrative cross-coupling of unactivated primary/secondary alcohols with amines/amides under environmentally benign conditions. Mg2+ and counteranion (PF6-) worked synergistically to realize C-OH bond cleavage and concomitant C-N bond formation. A wide range of allylic alcohols and amines/amides were tolerated well in this transformation, which allowed C-N bond construction with high efficiency.

Automated summary

A transition-metal-free catalytic system was developed for the dehydrative cross-coupling of unactivated primary/secondary alcohols with amines/amides, achieving the cleavage of C-OH bond and formation of C-N bond under environmentally benign conditions.