Uncovering the importance of proton donors in TmI2-promoted electron transfer: Facile C-N bond cleavage in unactivated amides

Abstract

Nonclassical lanthanide(II) iodides are modern reagents for the development of challenging electron-transfer processes. It was demonstrated that alcohols are critical for the formation of a thermodynamically more powerful reductant from TmI2 (thulium diiodide), the first nonclassical lanthanide(II) iodide in the series (TmI2, DyI2, NdI2). The TmI2(ROH)n reagent promotes an unprecedented cleavage of the σ C-N bond in amides. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.