Manganese(I)-Catalyzed Direct Addition of C(sp3)-H Bonds to Aryl Isocyanates

The addition of C-H bonds to isocyanates catalyzed by transition metals is a highly auspicious methodology for providing synthetically and biologically important amides. However, the substrates are limited to C(sp(2))-H bonds. In this work, an efficient manganese(I)-catalyzed direct addition reaction of C(sp(3))-H bonds of 8-methylquinolines to aryl isocyanates has been developed, leading to the synthesis of various alpha-quinolinyl amide compounds in moderate to high yields. The reaction has a broad range of substrates and a good functional group tolerance. A possible mechanism is proposed based on the experimental results.