Solvent‐Free N‐Alkylation of Amides with Alcohols Catalyzed by Nickel on Silica–Alumina

Abstract

The N‐alkylation of phenylacetamide with benzyl alcohol has been studied using Ni/SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 . In the optimized conditions, the desired product was isolated in an excellent 98 % yield. The reaction could advantageously be performed in neat conditions, with a slight excess of amide and a catalytic amount of base. These conditions were tested on a large range of amides and alcohols, affording 24 compounds in 13 to 99 % isolated yields.