Synthesis of aziridines by electrochemical oxidative annulation of chalcones with primary amines

Synthesis of aziridines by electrochemical oxidative annulation of chalcone 1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one with primary amines has been developed under external oxidant - and base-free conditions. The reaction constitutes a new transformation of chalcones with primary amines to aziridines, providing a complementary, simple, and environmentally friendly approach to the currently available methods. A reaction mechanism for this transformation has been proposed based on the cyclic voltammetry.