Synthesis of α‐Amino Acid Amides: Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Amination of α‐Hydroxy Amides

Give me an N: The catalytic amination of α-hydroxy amides with a variety of amines, including anilines, primary and secondary aliphatic amines, and ammonia, yields a wide range of α-amino amides (see scheme). This atom-efficient amination protocol proceeds efficiently in the presence of a commercially available [Ru3(CO)12]/DCPE catalyst system.