Direct Use of Unprotected Aliphatic Amines to Generate N-Heterocycles via β-C-H Malonylation with Iodonium Ylide.

An unprecedented method that enables the direct transformation of unprotected secondary aliphatic amines into functionalized N-heterocycles in the absence of transition metals was developed. The activation of these NH-free amines by the iodonium ylide induces a site-selective β-C-H malonylation process, allowing the construction of three σ-bonds and one π-bond in a simple operation.