Rh(III)/Cu(II)-cocatalyzed synthesis of 1H-indazoles through C-H amidation and N-N bond formation.

Substituted 1H-indazoles can be formed from readily available arylimidates and organo azides by Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation/C-N bond formation and Cu-catalyzed N-N bond formation. For the first time the N-H-imidates are demonstrated to be good directing groups in C-H activation, also capable of undergoing intramolecular N-N bond formation. The process is scalable and green, with O2 as the terminal oxidant and N2 and H2O formed as byproducts. Moreover, the products could be transformed to diverse important derivatives.