Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed N-H Insertions of Carbenes under Mechanochemical Conditions.

Under mechanochemical conditions in a mixer mill, Rh(OAc) catalyzes the reaction between aryldiazoesters and anilines to give α-amino esters. The process proceeds under mild conditions and is insensitive to air. It is solvent-free and scalable. A broad substrate scope, short reaction times, operational simplicity, and good functional group tolerance are additional salient features of this protocol.