Ligand-free CuI-catalyzed selective C–N coupling of aliphatic amino group of α-amino acid amides with ortho-dihaloarenes

Many synthetic methods of racemic N-aryl (including N-(2-haloaryl)) α-amino acid amides have been reported, but there are only a few for eutomers and none for inactivated halo(hetero)arenes. Selective C–N coupling of aliphatic amino group of α-amino acid amides is a direct and valuable method, but still unresolved. Here we disclose a simple and cheap ligand-free CuI-catalyzed selective synthesis of chiral N-(2-halo(hetero)aryl) amino acid amides without obvious racemization. A rational mechanism is proposed.