Cross-Coupling of Amides by N-C Bond Activation

In recent years, significant conceptual advances have taken place in the field of amide bond cross-coupling. Mild and selective functionalization of amides by transition-metal catalysis has an enormous potential for widespread applications in both industry and academia due to the unparalleled prevalence of amide-containing molecules. However, direct metal insertion into the N-C(O) amide bond is extremely difficult as a consequence of amidic resonance. In this account, we summarize our work on the development of new cross-coupling reactions of amides by N-C bond activation, and briefly discuss other modern developments in this area.