Copper-catalyzed direct oxidative amination of maleimides and quinones with formamides in the presence of an oxidant KIO3

A facile, efficient, and practical method for copper-catalyzed direct amination of maleimides and quinones with formamides in the presence of an oxidant KIO3 has been developed. It allows a facile access to a wide range of functionalized molecules with privileged scaffolds in drugs and natural products such as maleimides and quinones. A variety of substituted 3-amino-maleimides and 2-amino-quinones were synthesized with moderate to excellent yield.