Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Urea Derivatives via Cu-Catalyzed Reaction of Acylazide and Secondary Amine

Abstract

The synthesis of unsymmetrical urea generally requires toxic reagent, solvent and harsh reaction condition. Herein, we introduce Cu-catalyzed greener and safer unsymmetrical urea derivatives synthesis in ethyl acetate. This method minimized utilization of toxic reagent. A variety of indole, amines, and azides with bis-indole successfully employed leading to high yields and gram scale synthesis of isolated urea.

Keywords: Curtius rearrangement; copper catalyst; green solvent; unsymmetrical urea.