Selective N-formylation/N-methylation of amines and N-formylation of amides and carbamates with carbon dioxide and hydrosilanes: promotion of the basic counter anions of the zinc catalyst

A catalyst composed of commercially available Zn(OAc)(2) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) was effective in the N-formylation/N-methylation of amines using CO2 as the C1 source in the presence of hydrosilanes. An equimolar reaction of N-methylaniline with PhSiH3 under a CO2 atmosphere yielded the N-formylation product in 92% yield at 25 degrees C. Scale-up of the reaction using 10 mmol substrate was also successful in affording the desired product in 83% yield (1.1 g). This catalyst exhibits a high thermal stability and a turnover number (TON) of 385 000 at 150 degrees C. In addition, the reaction of N-methylaniline in the presence of excess Ph2SiH2 produced N,N-dimethylaniline. Furthermore, our catalytic protocol was developed for the N-formylation of amides and carbamates, which have smaller pK(a) values and lower reactivities than the corresponding amines. The present Zn(OAc)(2)/phen catalyst was found to show versatility in the conversion of CO2 and amines into several functionalized organic chemicals under mild conditions. We propose that the basic counter anion (i.e., the acetate) of the catalyst activates both the Si-H and N-H bonds.