Copper-catalyzed intramolecular direct amination of sp2 C-H bonds for the synthesis of N-aryl acridones.

A copper-catalyzed approach for the synthesis of N-aryl acridones via sp(2) C-H bond amination using air as oxidant under neutral conditions is disclosed. This reaction not only provides a complementary method for synthesizing medicinally important acridones, but also offers a new strategy for sp(2) C-H bond amination.