Iron-catalysed oxidation of N,N-dimethylaniline with molecular oxygen
Abstract
N,N-Dimethylaniline is oxidised by molecular oxygen in the presence of a number of iron complexes or salts in acetonitrile to give a mixture of N-methylformanilide and 4,4′-methylenebis(N,N′-dimethylaniline) together with N-methylaniline, the product composition being a marked function of the identity of the iron species employed.