A Simple N-Formylation Procedure

A simple procedure for formylating a wide variety of amino-acid esters and primary amines has been discovered by a group at London (Western Ontario, Canada). It involves simply heating with imidazole in DMF  (Suchy et al, Org Lett, 2011, 13(15), 3952-5).The method requires no addition reagents to activate the DMF, does not require dry solvents or an inert atmosphere, is simple to use and to work up and therefore is likely to be used on large scale.  The method is, however, not suitable for aromatic amines.