Ruthenium-Based Catalytic Systems Incorporating a Labile Cyclooctadiene Ligand with -Heterocyclic Carbene Precursors for the Atom-Economic Alcohol Amidation Using Amines.

Transition-metal-catalyzed amide-bond formation from alcohols and amines is an atom-economic and eco-friendly route. Herein, we identified a highly active in situ -heterocyclic carbene (NHC)/ruthenium (Ru) catalytic system for this amide synthesis. Various substrates, including sterically hindered ones, could be directly transformed into the corresponding amides with the catalyst loading as low as 0.