Formamide derivatives Leuckart-Wallach reaction

The Leuckart-Wallach reaction is the oldest method of reductive amination of carbonyl compounds. It makes use of formamide, formic acid or ammonium formate at high temperature. The final product is a formamide derivative, which can be converted to an amine by reduction or hydrolysis. The method has been applied to the preparation of 1,2-diamines with a norbornane framework, which are interesting rigid analogues of 1,2-diaminocyclohexanes. As a matter of fact, starting from N-acetyl-2-oxo-l-norbornylamine 222, the diamide 223 was obtained with excellent diastereoselectivity and then converted to the M-methyl-N -ethyl derivative 224 by reduction with borane [ 104] (Scheme 34). On the other hand, when the reac-... 

Optically active amines can also be generated directly from ketones with ammonium formate in a catalytic version of the Leuckart-Wallach reaction (Equation 15.89). The imine is derived from the ammonia generated from the ammonium formate, and the reducing equivalent is derived from the formate. In the presence of the [Ru(BINAP)Cl2]2 catalyst, the amine and formamide were formed as the major products. After hydrolysis of the formamide, the amine was isolated in high yield and ee. 

Pr)4, " borohydride-exchange resin,and formic acid. When the last is used, the process is called the Wallach reaction. Conjugated aldehydes are converted to alkenyl-amines with the amine/silica gel followed by reduction with zinc borohydride.In the particular case where primary or secondary amines are reductively methylated with formaldehyde and formic acid, the method is called the Esch-weiler-Clarke procedure. It is possible to use ammonium (or amine) salts of formic acid, " or formamides, as a substitute for the Wallach conditions. This method is called the Leuckart reaction,and in this case the products obtained are often the N-formyl derivatives of the amines instead of the free amines. Primary and secondary amines can be iV-ethylated (e.g., ArNHR ArNREt) by treatment with NaBH4 in acetic acid. Aldehydes react with aniline in the presence of Mont-morillonite KIO clay and microwaves to give the amine. Formaldehyde with formic acid converts secondary amines to the N-methyl derivative with microwave irradiation. 

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