Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Direct Transformation of Benzyl Amines under Additive-Free Conditions

In this communication, we developed a new procedure for the direct carbonylative transformation of benzyl amines. Using dimethyl carbonate as the solvent, methyl 2-arylacetates can be produced in good to excellent yields from the corresponding primary, secondary, and tertiary benzyl amines with palladium as the catalyst. Notably, no base or any other additive is required here. In addition, our procedure can also be applied in the preparation of methylphenidate, which is a marketing drug and used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.