Iridium-Catalyzed Leuckart-Type Reductive Amination of Carbonyls

Abstract

Formamides are fundamental motifs that are prevalent in drugs, pesticides, dyes, and fragrances. Herein, we described an iridium-catalyzed Leuckart-type reductive amination of carbonyls, delivering formamides in moderate to excellent yields. In this process, ammonium formate was used as the N-formylating reagent to produce the formamide products. This protocol provides a new procedure for formamide synthesis.