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.