Synthesis of Biologically Relevant Compounds by Ruthenium Porphyrin Catalyzed Amination of Benzylic C–H Bonds

Herein
we report the catalytic activity of ruthenium porphyrin
complexes to promote the amination of benzylic C–H bonds by
aryl azides, yielding α- and β-amino esters. The catalytic
methodology is also effective to synthesize two derivatives of methyl l-3-phenyllactate in order to convert one of them into the corresponding
β-lactam. The catalytic experimental conditions have been optimized
on the basis of a preliminary mechanistic investigation which underlines
the pivotal role of the substrate concentration to maximize the reaction
productivity.