We report a direct synthetic approach for transforming benzamides to N- formylaniline derivatives in a single step, employing oxalic acid as the hydride donor. The process proceeds via amide C–N bond scission mediated by sodium azide, producing a be...
We report a direct synthetic approach for transforming benzamides to N- formylaniline derivatives in a single step, employing oxalic acid as the hydride donor. The process proceeds via amide C–N bond scission mediated by sodium azide, producing a benzoyl azide that undergoes Curtius rearrangement to generate an isocyanate intermediate. Thermal decomposition of oxalic acid provides the reducing equivalents necessary for converting this isocyanate to the N-formylated product. This protocol exhibits wide functional group tolerance, accommodating diverse substituted benzamides and heterocyclic substrates with yields reaching 95%. Mechanistic studies through control reactions established that oxalic acid functions as a direct hydride source rather than operating via in situ hydrogen gas formation, elucidating the pathway of this conversion.