Recent developments in metal-catalysed transamidation of quiescent amides

Abstract

Amides played a vital role in the development of organic synthesis in recent years. These structural motifs are found in several biologically important synthetic and naturally occurring compounds. Developing efficient methods for their synthesis is crucial for drug discovery. Transamidation is a prominent tool in organic and medicinal chemistry, enabling the replacement of the amine group in an existing amide with new functionalised amines. Additionally, Transamidation process is used significantly in the total synthesis of few naturally occurring compounds. Transamidation reaction has been achieved significantly by using metal catalysis but there are several metal-free approaches have been employed to achieve the same reaction. This review focuses on recent literature concerning metal-catalysed transamidation reactions, highlighting the use of alkaline earth metals, transition metals, lanthanides, actinides, alkali metal salts or complexes, and metalloids. Both catalytic and stoichiometric quantities of catalysts are discussed for their roles in enhancing reaction efficiency.