Facile N-arylation of amidines and N,N-disubstituted amidines

A metal-free method for the N-arylation of amidines and N,N-disubstituted amidines using o-silylaryl triflate under very mild reaction conditions is developed. The reactions are compatible with a variety of functional groups. Imines can also be N-arylated by this method. Preparation of substituted phenanthridines via a Pd catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of the iodine containing N-arylation product is demonstrated. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.