Iron-Catalyzed Amination of Strong Aliphatic C(sp³)–H Bonds

Abstract

A concept for intramolecular denitrogenative C(sp³)-H amination of 1,2,3,4-tetrazoles bearing unactivated primary, secondary, and tertiary C-H bonds is discovered. This catalytic amination follows an unprecedented metalloradical activation mechanism. The utility of the method is showcased with the short synthesis of a bioactive molecule. Moreover, an initial effort has been embarked on for the enantioselective C(sp³)-H amination through the catalyst design. Collectively, this study underlines the development of C(sp³)-H bond functionalization chemistry that should find wide application in the context of drug discovery and natural product synthesis.