Given the wide prevalence and ready availability of both phenols and amines, aniline synthesis through direct coupling between these starting materials would be extremely attractive. Herein, we describe a rhodium-catalyzed amination of phenols, which provides concise access to diverse anilines, with water as the sole byproduct. The arenophilic rhodium catalyst facilitates the inherently difficult keto−enol tautomerization of phenols by means of π-coordination, allowing for the subsequent dehydrative condensation with amines. We demonstrate the generality of this redox-neutral catalysis by carrying out reactions of a large array of phenols with various electronic properties and a wide variety of primary and secondary amines. Several examples of late-stage functionalization of structurally complex bioactive molecules, including pharmaceuticals, further illustrate the potential broad utility of the method.

Catalytic amination of phenols with amines via <i>π</i>-coordination

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Catalytic amination of phenols with amines via π-coordination