Raising the Bar for the "Perfect Reaction"

Amines are usually produced from alcohols with a solid-acid catalyst. Billions of kilograms of amines are produced each year to go into products such as shampoos, carpets, and fabric conditioners, and pharmaceuticals. In his Perspective, [Hartwig][1] highlights the synthetic route described by [Seayad][2] et al . The method enables amine synthesis directly from isomeric mixtures of alkenes, without the need to make the alcohol first. As a result of this elimination of a key intermediate step, the method may lead to cleaner and more efficient production of amines. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/297/5587/1653 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/297/5587/1676