N-Alkylation of amines with alcohols catalyzed by a Cp*Ir complex

Abstract

A new effective catalytic system consisting of [Cp*IrCl 2] 2/K 2CO 3 (Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) for the N-alkylation of primary amines with alcohols has been developed. As an example, the reaction of aniline with benzyl alcohol in the presence of [Cp*IrCl 2] 2 (5.0 mol%Ir) and K 2CO 3 (5.0 mol%) in toluene at 110°C for 17 h gave benzylaniline in an isolated yield of 88%.