DBU-Catalyzed Selective N-Methylation and N-Formylation of Amines with CO2 and Polymethylhydrosiloxane

We describe herein an efficient organocatalytic system for the selective N-methylation and N-formylation of amines with carbon dioxide (CO2) as a sustainable Cl feedstock and polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) as a cost-effectvie reducing reagent. High-yielding N-methylation products are obtained with low catalyst loading (1%) of DBU. Selective N-formylation of amines is achieved using the same catalytic system at a lower reaction temperature.