N-Alkylation of poor nucleophilic amine and sulfonamide derivatives with alcohols by a hydrogen autotransfer process catalyzed by copper(II) acetate

Copper(II) acetate is a versatile, cheap, and simple catalyst for the selective N-monoalkylation of amino derivatives with poor nucleophilic character, such as aromatic and heteroaromatic amines as well as sulfonamides, using in all cases primary alcohols as initial source of the electrophiles, through a hydrogen autotransfer process. In the case of sulfonamides, the monoalkylation process followed by a naphthalene-catalyzed reductive deprotection gives primary amines, which is an indirect alternative to the direct monoalkylation of ammonia.