Molecular Iodine-Catalyzed Aerobic α,β-Diamination of Cyclohexanones with 2‑Aminopyrimidine and 2‑Aminopyridines

Molecular iodine is shown to be an
excellent catalyst for aerobic
oxidative α,β-diamination of cyclohexanones with 2-aminopyrimidine/2-aminopyridines.
This α,β-C–H functionalization is remarkable for
its simplicity in both substrates and conditions, involving one and
a half oxygen molecules and releasing three water molecules as the
only byproduct. In addition, the functionalized products including
protected 2-aminoimidazoles introduced without aromatization can serve
as useful building blocks for natural product synthesis and medicinal
chemistry.