A new approach to direct intermolecular allylic amination has been developed using metal-free conditions at room temperature. The reaction employs a hypervalent iodine(III) reagent as an oxidant and bistosylimide as a nitrogen source. A series of different allylic aminations are presented with up to a 99% yield. Mechanistic studies including isotope labeling and Hammett correlation suggest that depending on the substrate structure two different mechanisms can be operating.
Iodine(III)-mediated intermolecular allylic amination under metal-free conditions
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 7242-7245.