CHAPTER 9. Soft Forces in Organic Synthesis by C–N Coupling Reactions

Chemical reactions controlled by the systems involved are essential to elucidate the complex functions of living systems and create new functional molecules. This chapter proposes the utilization of simultaneous cooperative multiple weak interactions or soft forces in the synthesis of C–N bonds. In general, metal-mediated synthetic methods for the syntheses of C–N bonds are associated with drawbacks, e.g. (a) requirements for prefunctionalized starting materials, for example aryl halides, prior to the amination (making overall transformation multi-step in nature), and (b) production of stoichiometric amounts of metal halides as waste after the amination. In contrast, by performing C–N coupling reactions via direct C–H activation or functionalization (without using any prefunctionalized systems), many amination reactions can be successfully achieved. This chapter mainly covers selective C–N bond formation reactions under mild conditions with the intention that the reactivity of those systems could be controlled through soft forces or cooperative noncovalent interactions.