Selective Formation of Secondary Amides via the Copper-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Alkylboronic Acids with Primary Amides

For the first time, a general catalytic procedure for the cross-coupling of primary amides and alkylboronic acids is demonstrated. The key to the success of this reaction was the identification of a mild base (NaOSiMe₃) and oxidant (di-<i>tert</i>-butyl peroxide) to promote the copper-catalyzed reaction in high yield. This transformation provides a facile, high-yielding method for the monoalkylation of amides