A Practical Approach for the Transamidation of N,N-Dimethyl Amides with Primary Amines Promoted by Sodium tert-Butoxide under Solvent-Free Conditions

A practical sodium tert-butoxide (NaOtBu)-mediated protocol is disclosed for the transamidation of various N,N-dimethyl amides with primary amines to afford the corresponding amides in moderate to good yields at room temperature under solvent-free conditions. This protocol features a facile work-up procedure and good functional group compatibility, especially for N,N-dimethyl amides with long-chain alkyl groups and heteroatom-containing amines. Notably, a few representative gram-scale reactions proceed smoothly to furnish the desired amides in high yields, which demonstrates the potential of this process for further practical applications. Several control experiments are carried out and a plausible mechanism is provided.