Deconstructive Functionalizations of Unstrained Carbon–Nitrogen Cleavage Enabled by Difluorocarbene

Transition-metal- or oxidant-promoted deconstructive functionalizations of noncyclic carbon–nitrogen bonds are well established, usually only leaving one moiety functionalized toward the final product. In contrast, concomitant C- and N-functionalizations via the unstrained C(sp3)–N bond under metal- and oxidant-free conditions are very rare, which would favorably confer versatility and product diversity. Disclosed herein is the first difluorocarbene-induced deconstructive functionalizations embodying successive C(sp3)–N bond cleavage of cyclic amines and synchronous functionalization of both constituent atoms which would be preserved in the eventual molecular outputs under transition-metal-free and oxidant-free conditions. Correspondent access to deuterated formamides with ample isotopic incorporation was demonstrated by a switch to heavy water which is conceivably useful in pharmaceutical sciences. The current strategy remarkably administers a very convenient, operationally simple and novel method toward molecular diversity from readily available starting materials. Therefore, we project that these findings would be of broad interest to research endeavors encompassing fluorine chemistry, carbene chemistry, C–N bond activation, as well as medicinal chemistry.