Synthesis of α-Ketoamides from Aryl Methyl Ketones and N,N-Dimethylformamide via Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Coupling

A copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of aryl methyl ketones with N,N-dimethylformamide was developed, which afforded alpha-ketoamides by a sequence of dioxygen activation, C-H bond functionalization, and amide formation with N, N-dimethylformamide as the nitrogen source. Molecular oxygen was found to play a crucial role in this transformation.