Silver-catalyzed efficient synthesis of enaminones from propargyl alcohols and amines

Enaminones are used as the key intermediates to construct heterocyclic compounds with various bioactivities. In this study, a simple and efficient approach for the synthesis of enaminones via amination of propargyl alcohols was developed. Under the catalysis of Ag₂CO₃, the reaction proceeded smoothly to afford the desired products in good yields. Preliminary mechanism experiments showed that Ag₂CO₃ played an essential role in the procedure of the reaction.