N-Alkylation of amines with alcohols catalyzed by a Cp*Ir complex

A new effective catalytic system consisting of [Cp*IrCl2](2)/K2CO3 (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) for the N-alkylation of primary amines with alcohols has been developed. As an example, the reaction of aniline with benzyl alcohol in the presence of [Cp*IrCl2](2) (5.0 mol%Ir) and K2CO3 (5.0 mol%) in toluene at 110degreesC for 17 h gave benzylaniline in an isolated yield of 88%. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.