Mechanochemical Cu(ii) complexes and propargylamine synthetic adventures

Abstract

We synthesized and characterized known and new Cu(II)–salen complexes and investigated their efficacy in yielding propargylamines (PAs) via an A³ coupling reaction mechanochemically. Although the method appears simple, we explicitly describe synthetic obstacles that urge unavoidable solvent use to isolate the molecular entities in high purity. The recovered complexes retain structure and catalytic efficacy, and a library of twenty-four known and unknown PAs are isolated in very good to excellent yields. The scope and limitations of this method are presented.