N-alkylated and N,N-dialkylated 1,6-diaminoperylene diimides synthesized via copper catalyzed direct aromatic amination.

Perylene diimides (PDIs) and naphthalene diimides (NDIs) can be efficiently aminated with primary or secondary amines under mild conditions using Cu(II) salts as catalysts and air as an oxidant. Depending on the substrate and the amine, yields over 80% can be obtained by simply stirring the reaction mixture at room temperature for one hour.