Rh(II)-Catalyzed Intermolecular -Aryl Aziridination of Olefins Using Nonactivated N Atom Precursors.

The development of the first intermolecular Rh(II)-catalyzed aziridination of olefins using anilines as nonactivated N atom precursors and an iodine(III) reagent as the stoichiometric oxidant is reported. This reaction requires the transfer of an -aryl nitrene fragment from the iminoiodinane intermediate to a Rh(II) carboxylate catalyst; in the absence of a catalyst only diaryldiazene formation was observed. This -aryl aziridination is general and can be successfully realized by using as little as 1 equiv of the olefin. Di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted cyclic or acylic olefins can be employed as substrates, and a range of aniline and heteroarylamine N atom precursors are tolerated. The Rh(II)-catalyzed N atom transfer to the olefin is stereospecific as well as chemo- and diastereoselective to produce the -aryl aziridine as the only amination product. Because the chemistry of nonactivated -aryl aziridines is underexplored, the reactivity of -aryl aziridines was explored toward a range of nucleophiles to stereoselectively access privileged 1,2-stereodiads unavailable from epoxides, and removal of the -2,4-dinitrophenyl group was demonstrated to show that functionalized primary amines can be constructed.