Green and Scalable Aldehyde‐Catalyzed Transition Metal‐Free Dehydrative N‐ Alkylation of Amides and Amines with Alcohols

In contrast to the borrowing hydrogen‐type N‐ alkylation reactions, in which alcohols were activated by transition metal‐catalyzed anaerobic dehydrogenation, the addition of external aldehydes was accidentally found to be a simple and effective protocol for alcohol activation. This interesting finding subsequently led to an efficient and green, practical and scalable aldehyde‐catalyzed transition metal‐free dehydrative N‐ alkylation method for a variety of amides, amines, and alcohols. Mechanistic studies revealed that this reaction most possibly proceeds via a simple but interesting transition metal‐free relay race mechanism.