Metal-free reaction conditions featuring oxygen and 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) were employed for the selective oxidation of benzyl amines and active methylene compounds to afford various amides and ketones. Owing to the strong basicity of guanidine bases, TBD is presumed to play an important role in the cleavage of the C-H bond at the benzylic position of peroxide intermediates, which were formed by the reaction with oxygen.
This study was supported by the National Research Foundation programs (nos. 2016R1D1A1A09917100 and 2019R1A2C1084021) and the Human Resources Program in Energy Technology (no. 20154010200820) of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), which receives financial resources from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea.
