Selective Iridium‐Catalyzed Alkylation of (Hetero)Aromatic Amines and Diamines with Alcohols under Mild Reaction Conditions

Selective amine alkylation : A P,N‐ligand‐stabilized iridium complex has been used as an efficient catalyst for the alkylation of (hetero)aromatic amines with alcohols at mild reaction temperatures and catalyst loadings as low as 0.1 mol % Ir (see scheme). The excellent selectivity of the catalyst for monoalkylation of the amine function has also been exploited for the N,N′‐dialkylation of diamines in both symmetric and nonsymmetric fashions.