Ruthenium-Catalyzed Amide Formation

Significance

The synthesis of amides is traditionally achieved from carboxylic acids and the amine using a coupling reagent, Staudinger ligation, aminocarbonylation of aryl halides or oxidative amidation of aldehydes. Stoichiometric amounts of reagents and byproducts are generated and subsequently need to be removed from the reaction mixture. This environmentally friendly catalytic procedure, similar to a pincer-type system previously reported, can produce the desired amides from a variety of amines and alcohols.