Selective N-functionalization of Arylhydrazines with Primary Alcohols and Acids under PPh3/DDQ System

We present a PPh3/DDQ-mediated regiospecific selective N-functionalization of arylhydrazines with primary benzylic alcohols and aryl carboxylic acids for the synthesis of N1-benzyl arylhydrazines and N2-acyl arylhydrazines, respectively. This metal- and base-free approach features very short reaction times (about 10 min), broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, and mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, N1-benzlated products have also been successfully applied to the concise synthesis of N-substituted indoles and anticancer drug MDM2 inhibitor.