Photoinduced Deaminative Borylation of Unactivated Aromatic Amines Enhanced by CO2

Abstract

Herein, direct unactivated C-N borylation of aromatic amines by a photocatalyst was achieved under mild and metal-free conditions. The C-N borylation of aromatic amines with bis(pinacolato)diboron (B<sub>2</sub>pin<sub>2</sub>) proceeded in the presence of a pyrene catalyst under light irradiation (λ = 365 nm) <a>to afford desired borylated products</a> and aminoborane as a byproduct. The yield of borylated product improved under a CO<sub>2</sub> atmosphere. Reactions conducted in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of aminoborane under N<sub>2</sub> or CO<sub>2</sub> indicated that CO<sub>2</sub> reduced the inhibitory effect of aminoborane. Optimal reaction conditions were applied to a variety of aromatic amines. Mechanistic studies suggested that the C-N bond cleavage and C-B bond formation proceeded via a concerted pathway.