Mechanochemical Rhodium-Catalyzed C-H Bond Amidation of Ferrocenes by Ball Milling.

ABSTRACT

A direct protocol for Rh-catalyzed C-H amidation of ferrocenes in a ball mill using dioxazolones as the amide source under solvent-free conditions was developed. The corresponding ortho-aminated products were formed in 3 hours and the yields were up to 99% in the absence of base. This method could be a typically sustainable and environmental-friendly alternative method to traditional methodologies, with the advantages of wide substrate range, good functional group tolerance and gram-scale synthesis.