Oxidative cleavage of benzylic C-N bonds under metal-free conditions.

An interesting procedure for the oxidative cleavage of benzylic C-N bonds has been developed. Using TBAI as the catalyst and H2O2 as the oxidant, various benzylamines were transformed into their corresponding aromatic aldehydes in moderate to good yields. Notably, this is the first example of an oxidative cleavage of benzylic C-N bonds under metal-free conditions.