Monoacylation of unprotected symmetrical diamines with resin-bound benzoic acids

A protocol for monoacylation of unprotected symmetrical diamines with a resin-bound benzoic acid is described. The nature of the resin (gel-based polystyrene vs highly crosslinked macroporous polystyrene) was found to play a minor role in acylation selectivity. Rather, the concentration of the diamine dictates the ratio of mono- and diacylated products. Thus, by employing a high concentration of symmetrical diamine (e.g., 1 M, 20 equiv), monoacylation can be selectively achieved for a variety of unprotected symmetrical alkyl and aryl diamines.