Direct Synthesis of Unprotected 2-Azidoamines from Alkenes via an Iron-Catalyzed Difunctionalization Reaction

Unprotected, primary 2-azidoamines are versatile precursors to vicinal diamines, which are among the most common motifs in biologically active compounds. Herein, we report their operationally simple synthesis through an iron-catalyzed difunctionalization of alkenes. A wide array of alkene substrates are tolerated, including complex drug-like molecules and a tripeptide. Facile derivatizations of the azidoamine group demonstrate the versatility of this masked diamine motif in chemoselective, orthogonal transformations. Applications of the methodology in the concise synthesis of RO 20-1724 as well as in the formal total syntheses of both (+/-)-hamacanthin B and (+/-)-quinagolide further demonstrate the broad synthetic potential of this highly functional-group-tolerant reaction.