N1,N3-Diacyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones: neutral acyl group transfer reagents

Readily available N1,N3-diacyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones efficiently acylate ammonia, primary and secondary amines to furnish primary, secondary and tertiary amides in good to excellent yields. The wide applicability of the procedure is demonstrated by running the reactions in a neutral medium, easy isolation of products, recycling of the innocuous by-product and chemoselectivity of the transformation.