Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Transamidation of Secondary Amides with Nitroarenes

Transmidation is an attractive method for amide synthesis. However, transamidation of secondary amides is challenging. Here, we describe a reductive transamidation method that employs readily available nitro(hetero)arenes as the nitrogen sources, zinc or manganese as reductant, and simple nickel salt and ligand as a catalyst system. The scope of amides includes both alkyl and aryl secondary amides, with high functional group compatibility.