Substitution of alcohols by N-nucleophiles via transition metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation

Transition metal-catalyzed substitution of alcohols by N-nucleophiles (or N-alkylation of amines and related compounds with alcohols) avoids the use of alkylating agents by means of borrowing hydrogen (BH) activation of the alcohol substrates. Water is produced as the only by-product, which makes the "BH" processes atom-economic and environmentally benign. Diverse types of homogeneous organometallic and heterogeneous transition metal catalysts, and substrates such as N-nucleophiles including amines, amides, sulfonamides and ammonia, and various alcohols, can be used for this purpose, demonstrating the promising potential of "BH" processes to replace the procedures using traditional alkylating agents in…