Facile intramolecular amination of unactivated alkenes has been achieved by using electricity as a catalyst that helps to generate an intermediate and accelerates formation of cyclic ureas in high yields. Using this method, no metal catalysts were used. During electrolysis, a nitrogen radical was formed at the urea substrate that cyclised with the alkene and generated a terminal carbon radical which further formed a bond with the 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxyl radical (TEMPO). This method of electrolysis not only gives cyclic ureas but also functionalises terminal unactivated alkenes. This method can be considered to be environmentally friendly given that it avoids the issues of toxicity or complicated metal ligands and could therefore be potentially employed in green chemistry.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.