Copper-Catalyzed Ring-Opening 1,3-Difunctionalization of <i>N</i> -Chloro- <i>N</i> -Cyclopropyl Amides
The selective functionalization of cyclopropylamines has long remained challenging due to their limited electronic bias and the difficulty of achieving efficient bond polarization. Here, we report a copper-catalyzed chloroamide-directed strategy that enables 1,3-difunctionalization of cyclopropylamides in a single step. This method leverages strain-driven single-electron reduction to generate nitrogen-centered radicals, which undergo rapid β-scission to produce versatile radical intermediates that can be efficiently intercepted by a broad range of nucleophiles. The approach provides modular access to α, γ-difunctionalized amines from simple precursors, features broad substrate scope including late-stage diversification of drug derivatives, and proceeds without the need for strong oxidants. By combining radical reactivity with a directing-group strategy, this atom-economical protocol establishes a general platform for constructing pharmaceutically relevant amine architectures and expands the synthetic utility of cyclopropylamines in synthetic and medicinal chemistry.
Authors
- Shimin Jiang
- Xiaojun Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9425-4882)
- Yifan Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4464-2166)
- Peng He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7141-4660)
- Bosheng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1744-3169)
- Xiaohong Wen
Institutions
- Nanchang University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Coal Chemistry (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Catalysis
- Published
- 2026-06-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.6c01703
- Primary Topic
- Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00