Hydroamination of terminal alkynes to imines catalyzed by a phosphorus-nitrogen PN3-pincer Cu(I) complex

Developing catalytic methods that utilize abundant and cost-effective metal complexes to synthesize valuable compounds is a significant focus in organic synthesis. Herein, we describe the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic performance of the bipyridine-based PN³ pincer Cu(I) complex toward hydroamination of terminal alkynes to prepare imines. This methodology was successfully applied to a variety of alkyne and amine substrates bearing different functional groups to achieve up to 99 % yield of the corresponding imines. A plausible mechanism was derived based on experimental results and literature.