An efficient synthesis of tertiary amines from nitriles in aprotic solvents

Tertiary amines are utilized extensively as non-nucleophilic proton scavengers for a number of organic transformations. Herein we report the efficient syntheses of tertiary alkyl amines from their corresponding alkyl nitriles in the presence of a heterogeneous palladium catalyst and a source of dihydrogen in aprotic solvents. The reaction is atom economic, the conditions are mild, and the isolated yields are virtually quantitative. The degree of amine alkylation shows some solvent dependency; in polar protic solvents such as ethanol or methanol, the reaction affords a mixture of products with the secondary alkyl amine as the major product.