Advanced Nitroso Aldol Reaction: Metal-Free Cross-Coupling of Anilines with Silyl Enol Ethers en Route to α-Amino Ketones

A practical and step-economical nitroso aldol reaction has been developed based on metal-free direct cross-coupling of ready-stock anilines with silyl enol ethers at room temperature affording α-amino ketones in high yields (up to 82%). The protocol features a one-pot cascade of nitroso compound generation, selective C-N bond formation, and N-O bond cleavage using solely inexpensive and user-friendly Oxone and displays remarkable functional group tolerance. The method was further extended to prepare densely functionalized indoles that are otherwise difficult to synthesize.