Rhodium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Amidation of Arenes with Sulfonyl Azides via Chelation-Assisted C–H Bond Activation

We report the direct amidation of arene C–H bonds
using
sulfonyl azides as the amino source to release N2 as the
single byproduct. The reaction is catalyzed by a cationic rhodium
complex under external oxidant-free conditions in the atmospheric
environment. A broad range of chelate group-containing arenes are
selectively amidated with excellent functional group tolerance, thus
opening a new avenue to practical intermolecular C–N bond formation.