Regioselective one-pot bromination of aromatic amines

[reaction: see text] Treatment of aniline with n-butyllithium and then trimethyltin chloride gave the tin amide (PhNH-SnMe(3)) in situ. Without isolation of the tin amide, reaction with bromine and workup with aqueous fluoride ion gave p-bromoaniline in 76% yield, with no dibromoaniline or o-bromoaniline. Application of this sequence to 11 different aromatic amines gave selective bromination in 36-91% yields, without formation of dibromides. This constitutes a good general method for the regioselective bromination of aromatic amines.