A General and Selective Rhodium-Catalyzed Reduction of Amides, N-Acyl Amino Esters, and Dipeptides Using Phenylsilane.

This article describes a selective reduction of functionalized amides, including N-acyl amino esters and dipeptides, to the corresponding amines using simple [Rh(acac)(cod)]. The catalyst shows excellent chemoselectivity in the presence of different sensitive functional moieties.