The development of a novel intermolecular oxidative amination reaction, a synthetic transformation that involves the simultaneous functionalization of both an N-H and C-H bond, is described. The process, which is mediated by an I(III) oxidant and contains no metal catalysts, provides a rapid and green method for synthesizing protected anilines from simple arenes and phthalimide. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction proceeds via nucleophilic attack of the phthalimide on an aromatic radical cation, as opposed to the electrophilic aromatic amination that has been reported for other I(III) amination reactions. The application of this new reaction to the synthesis of a variety of substituted aniline derivatives is demonstrated.

A novel protocol for the regioselective intermolecular amination of various arenes has been developed. By using an I(III) oxidant in the presence of a Au(I) catalyst, a direct and novel route for regioselectively accessing a variety of substituted aniline moieties has been achieved with yields as high as 90%. Mechanistic insight suggests that regioselectivity can be predicted based on electrophilic aromatic metalation patterns.

A new approach for the direct amination of 2-phenylpyridine derivatives using a diphthalimide-iodane and copper triflate has been developed. A series of different 2-phenylpyridine derivatives were aminated with yields up to 88%. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction proceeds via a copper-mediated single electron transfer.

A new and efficient scheme for the synthesis of one of the best known inhibitors of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNTA) is reported herein. The synthetic route involves two palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions, formally activating three C-H bonds.