Electrochemical C-H amination: synthesis of aromatic primary amines via N-arylpyridinium ions.

We have developed a new method for C-H amination of aromatic compounds based on electrochemical oxidation of aromatic compounds in the presence of pyridine followed by the reaction of the resulting N-arylpyridinium ions with an alkylamine. This new transformation serves as a powerful method for synthesizing aromatic primary amines from aromatic compounds without using metal catalysts and harsh chemical reagents. High chemoselectivity of the present method is demonstrated by C-H amination of aromatic compounds bearing a nitro group to give a key intermediate for the synthesis of VLA-4 antagonist.