Elements as Direct Feedstocks for Organic Synthesis: Fe/I2/O2 for Diamination of 2-Cyclohexenones with 2-Aminopyrimidine and 2-Aminopyridines.

Elements as feedstocks for organic synthesis, the trio of metallic iron, molecular iodine, and dioxygen, were found to be an excellent tool for oxidative regioselective diamination of conjugated enones with 2-aminopyrimidine (a guanidine surrogate) and 2-aminopyridines leading to unaromatized coupled products in moderate to good yields.