Metal-free aerobic oxidative C–N bond cleavage of tertiary amines for the synthesis of N-heterocycles with high atom efficiency

Abstract

An efficient metal-free aerobic C–N bond cleavage of tertiary amines has been developed to construct N-heterocycles using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant with high atom efficiency. All of the three alkyl groups in tertiary amines can be utilized and transformed into N-heterocycles.