Metal- and oxidant-free electrochemically promoted oxidative coupling of amines
Gang Liu, Sen Liu, Zhen Li, Hengyu Chen, Jiashuai Li, Yalin Zhang, Guodong Shen, Bingchuan Yang, Xiude Hu, Xianqiang Huang
Abstract
The selective oxidation of amines into imines is a priority research topic in organic synthesis and has attracted much attention over the past few decades. However, the oxidation of amines generally suffers from the drawback of transition-metal, even noble-metal catalysts. Thus, the strategy of metal- and oxidant-free selective synthesis of imines is highly desirable yet largely unmet. This paper unravels a metal-free and external oxidant-free electrochemical strategy for the oxidative coupling methodology of amines. This general transformation is compatible with various functional amines and led to functionalized imines in moderate to satisfactory yields.