Direct Synthesis of Amides from Nitro Compounds and Alcohols via Borrowing Hydrogenation

Herein, we report a RuH2(CO)(PPh3)3 catalyzed direct amidation of alcohols using readily available nitro compounds via a catalytic borrowing hydrogen method. This reaction proceeded via cascade reactions, including oxidation of alcohol, reduction of nitro group and formation of amides under one-pot condition. This protocol provides a single catalytic system for many reactions, a step economic advantage over the available techniques, tolerates various functionalities, and was demonstrated with broad substrate scope (47 examples).