Primary amines are essential constituents of biologically active molecules and versatile intermediates in the synthesis of drugs and agrochemicals. However, their preparation from easily accessible alkenes remains challenging. Here, we report a general strategy to access primary amines from alkenes through an operationally simple iron-catalyzed aminochlorination reaction. A stable hydroxylamine derivative and benign sodium chloride act as the respective nitrogen and chlorine sources. The reaction proceeds at room temperature under air; tolerates a large scope of aliphatic and conjugated alkenes, including densely functionalized substrates; and provides excellent anti-Markovnikov regioselectivity with respect to the amino group. The reactivity of the 2-chloroalkylamine products, an understudied class of amphoteric molecules, enables facile access to linear or branched aliphatic amines, aziridines, aminonitriles, azido amines, and homoallylic amines.

We demonstrate a Au(i)-mediated three-component reaction to DNA-tagged highly substituted 6-oxa-1,2-diazaspiro[4.4]nonanes from either DNA-coupled aldehydes, hydrazides, or alkynols. The choice of the starting material coupled to the DNA tag was critial for the purity of the product as the DNA-aldehyde conjugate yielded the purest products, whereas the alkynol- and hydrazide conjugates returned complex product mixtures. The reaction was compatible with thymine-, cytosine-, and, surprisingly, with adenine-DNA, while guanine-containing DNA strands were degraded under the reaction conditions.

A cascade Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling giving rise to 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes has been developed. Using biaryls with unsymmetrical substitution-pattern full site-selectivity was observed. Furthermore, this cross-coupling of an alkyl 1,2-bisboronic pinacol ester proceeds...