A convenient rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination procedure forterminal alkynes

The first rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination of alkynes is pre sented. Terminal alkynes react efficiently with anilines in the presence of cationic rhodium(I) catalysts under very mild reaction conditions (e.g., b ase and acid free at room temperature) to yield up to 99% of the correspond ing imines. An easy one-pot protocol for the synthesis of secondary amines was developed by combining this alkyne amination reaction with in situ addi tion of organolithium reagents.