Synthesis of Hindered α-Amino Carbonyls: Copper-Catalyzed Radical Addition with Nitroso Compounds.

The synthesis of sterically hindered anilines has been a significant challenge in organic chemistry. Here we report a Cu-catalyzed radical addition with in situ-generated nitroso compounds to prepare sterically hindered amines directly from readily available materials. The transformation is conducted at room temperature, uses abundant copper salts, and is tolerant of a range of functional groups.