Selective formation of secondary amides via the copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkylboronic acids with primary amides.

For the first time, a general catalytic procedure for the cross-coupling of primary amides and alkylboronic acids is demonstrated. The key to the success of this reaction was the identification of a mild base (NaOSiMe3) and oxidant (di-tert-butyl peroxide) to promote the copper-catalyzed reaction in high yield. This transformation provides a facile, high-yielding method for the monoalkylation of amides.