B 2 (OH) 4 -Mediated Reductive Transamidation of N -Acyl Benzotriazoles with Nitro Compounds En Route to Aqueous Amide Synthesis.

We herein developed a reductive transamidation reaction between N -acyl benzotriazoles (AcBt) and organic nitro compounds or NaNO 2 under mild conditions. This protocol employed the stable and readily available B 2 (OH) 4 as the reducing agent and H 2 O as the ideal solvent. N -Deuterated amides can be synthesized when conducting the reaction in D 2 O. A reasonable reaction mechanism involving bond metathesis between the AcBt amide and amino boric acid intermediate was proposed to explain the unique nature of AcBt.