Metal-Free Iodine(III)-Promoted Direct Intermolecular C–H Amination Reactions of Acetylenes

A direct metal-free amination of arylalkynes has been developed, which proceeds by reaction of the terminal alkyne with the hypervalent iodine reagent PhI(OAc)NTs2 within a single-step operation. This unprecedented intermolecular C–H to C–N bond conversion provides rapid access to the important class of ynamides. In addition to the title reaction, the related transformation between alkylated alkynes and the iodine(III) reagent is also discussed.