ZrCl4/Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine as a new and efficient reagent combination for the direct reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones with weakly basic amines
ZrCl4/Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine is a mild and highly efficient reagent combination for the direct reductive amination. Weakly basic amines such as anilines substituted by electron-withdrawing group and heteroaromatic amines can be reductively alkylated with electron rich aldehydes and ketones under mild conditions to form the secondary amines in excellent yields.