Copper-catalyzed and iodide-promoted aerobic C–C bond cleavage/C–N bond formation toward the synthesis of amides

A copper-catalyzed and iodide-promoted aerobic C–C bond cleavage/C–N bond formation reaction between ketone and simple amine was developed toward the synthesis of amides, which are useful synthetic intermediates in organic synthesis and important skeletons of biologically active molecules. Notably, the reaction conditions are very mild, and preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate that molecular oxygen might be involved in the C–C bond cleavage process.