A three-component reaction of aldehydes, alkyl bromides, and ammonia to form imines was studied. Aqueous ammonia was applied as the nitrogen source and solvent in the reaction. For the aromatic aldehyde, the product yields are good to excellent and the reaction conditions are mild to be compatible with a range of functional groups. The reaction of aldehydes and aqueous ammonia with epoxides was also studied and imines bearing a vicinal hydroxyl group can be obtained efficiently and regioselectively. And studies showed that this method allows the synthesis of primary amines and especially 1,2-amino alcohol selectively in high yield. It is proposed that the reaction pathway might involve a key intermediate of hydrobenzamide.
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