Electrochemical Dehydrogenative C-H Aminomethylation of Imidazopyridines and Related Heterocycles.

A facile and environmentally friendly electrochemical protocol is herein reported for the C(sp 2 )-C(sp 3 ) cross dehydrogenative coupling between imidazopyridines and N,N-dimethylanilines. The broad functional group compatibility includes halogens, ester, alcohol, sulfone as well as thiophene. This methodology is also suitable for benzo[d]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, thiazoimidazole and tetrahydroisoquinoline, and can be scaled up to 5 mmol. Mechanistic insights are discussed.