Boron-Catalyzed N-Alkylation of Arylamines and Arylamides with Benzylic Alcohols

A sustainable boron-based catalytic approach for chemoselective N-alkylation of primary and secondary aromatic amines and amides with primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic alcohols has been presented. The metal-free protocol operates at low catalyst loading, tolerates several functional groups, and generates H2O as the sole byproduct. Preliminary mechanistic studies were performed to demonstrate the crucial role of boron catalyst for the activation of the intermediate dibenzyl ether and to identify the rate-determining step.