Visible-light induced FeCl3-catalyzed reductive transamidation of N-acyl benzotriazoles with nitro compounds

Abstract

Transamidation of amides is a synthetically useful but rather challenging transformation owing to the intrinsic stability of the amide linkage. The direct use of cheap and readily available nitro feedstocks for C–N bond formation is a promising pursuit. We herein developed a visible-light promoted iron-catalyzed reductive transamidation of N-acyl benzotriazoles with nitroarenes and nitroalkanes. This procedure employs FeCl₃ as the cheap and sustainable catalyst and PhSiH₃ as the benign reductant.