A Mild and Facile Reduction of Azides to Amines by N,N-Dimethylhydrazine and Catalytic Ferric Chloride

Abstract Reaction of a variety of azido compounds with N,N-dimethylhydrazine in the presence of a catalytic amount of ferric chloride hexahydrate in methanol results in excellent yields of the corresponding amino compounds. This reductive system is compatible with a wide assortment of functional groups and has also been extended towards the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine antibiotics.