Iron-Catalyzed Direct Synthesis of Amides from Alcohols.

Herein, we report an iron-catalyzed, one-pot, direct synthesis of amides via dehydrogenative amidation of alcohols using methoxyamine hydrochloride as a nitrogen source. Enabled by a well-defined Fe(II) catalyst of a redox-active azo-phenanthroline ligand, the reaction proceeds via the cooperative participation of iron and the ligand, producing a broad spectrum of amides, including (hetero)aromatic and aliphatic amides, and complex bioactive amide molecules in good isolated yields.