N-acylbenzotriazoles: Neutral acylating reagents for the preparation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides

Abstract

Readily available N-acylbenzotriazoles 2a-q efficiently acylate aqueous ammonia and primary and secondary amines to give primary, secondary, and tertiary amides in good to excellent yields. The wide applicability of the procedure is illustrated by the preparation of (i) α-hydroxyamides from α-hydroxy acids and of (ii) perfluoroalkylated amides.