Direct acylation of aryl amines using dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide as the acyl resources

The treatment of aryl amines with dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMA) in the presence of hydrochloric acid brings about efficient N-acylation to give the corresponding aryl formamides and aryl acetamides in acceptable to excellent yields. This method is simple, general, and practical for the rapid construction of aryl formamide and aryl acetamide derivatives.