Chunhui Dai, Genovino, Julien, Bechle, Bruce M., Corbett, Matthew S., Chan Woo Huh, Rose, Colin R., Jianmin Sun, Warmus, Joseph S., and Blakemore, David C.
A three-component, titanium-mediated synthesis of α-branched N-acylamines from commercial or readily accessible amides, aldehydes, and organometallic reagents is reported. The transformation proceeds under mild reaction conditions and tolerates a variety of functional groups (including nitrile, carbamate, olefin, basic amine, furan, and other sensitive heteroaromatics) to generate a large umbrella of α-branched N-acylamine products in high yields. The operationally practical procedure enables the use of this method in parallel chemical synthesis, a valuable feature that can facilitate the screening of bioactive molecules by medicinal chemists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]