Umpolung amide synthesis using substoichiometric N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) and oxygen as a terminal oxidant.

Umpolung Amide Synthesis (UmAS) provides direct access to amides from an α-bromo nitroalkane and an amine. Based on its mechanistic bifurcation after convergent C-N bond formation, depending on the absence or presence of oxygen, UmAS using substoichiometric N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) under aerobic conditions has been developed. In combination with the enantioselective preparation of α-bromo nitroalkane donors, this protocol realizes the goal of enantioselective α-amino amide and peptide synthesis based solely on catalytic methods.