Oxidative C-Se Coupling of Formamides and Diselenides by Using Aqueous tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide: A Convenient Synthesis of Selenocarbamates

An oxidative coupling reaction between formamides and diselenides under metal-free conditions is described. The C-Se bond formation occurred exclusively at the carbonyl carbon by using aqueous tert-butyl hydroperoxide and 4 angstrom molecular sieves and the coupled products, selenocarbamates, were obtained in moderate-to-good yields.