Synthesis of enaminones enabled by potassium persulfate oxidative N-dealkylation and addition to ynones

Abstract

The development of efficient and practical N-dealkylation methods stands as a long-sought goal in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we developed a convenient N-dealkylation reaction of tertiary amines enabled by the oxidation of potassium persulfate, which was cascaded by an addition to ynones, producing valuable enaminones. The transformation is transition-metal-free, only uses inexpensive potassium persulfate as the oxidant, and proceeds under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, this approach offers excellent stereoselectivity, good tolerance of functional groups, and a broad substrate scope. These advantages endow this method with potential for practical applications.