Regioselective N-alkylation of 2-amino-azoles with alcohols for the synthesis of 2-N-(alkylamino)azoles catalyzed by a ruthenium complex bearing a functional ligand

Abstract

A ruthenium complex bearing a functional ligand [(p-cymene)Ru(2,2′-bpyO)(H2O)] was found to be a general and efficient catalyst for the direct N-alkylation of 2-amino-azoles with alcohols to 2-(N-alkylamino)zoles. In the presence of catalyst (0.5 mol %), a range of desirable products were obtained with complete regioselectivity. Mechanistic experiments supported that functional groups in bpy ligand are crucially important for the catalytic activity of ruthenium complexes. Notably, this research would facilitate the progress of metal–ligand bifunctional catalysts for the hydrogen autotransfer process.