Platinum-catalyzed direct amination of allylic alcohols

Abstract

Transition metal-catalyzed amination of allylic compounds via a π -allylmetal intermediate is a powerful and useful method for synthesizing allylamines. Direct catalytic substitution of allylic alcohols with amines, which forms water as the sole coproduct, has recently attracted attention in terms of its environmental and economical advantages. Here, we describe the development of a direct catalytic amination of both aryl-and alkyl-substituted allylic alcohols with various amines including the smallest nitrogen nucleophile ammonia using Pt-Xantphos and Pt-DPEphos catalyst systems, which allow the selective synthesis of various monoallylamines including the biologically active compounds naftiflne and flunarizine, in good to high yield without requiring any activator.