Mild and eco-friendly chemoselective acylation of amines in aqueous medium

Amines in the form of amine hydrochlorides are efficiently acylated with anhydrides in an aqueous medium on addition of NaHCO3. Both cyclic and acyclic anhydrides react with equal ease with an amine and amines of various stereo-electronic factors react with the same rates with an anhydride. No chromatographic separation is needed for isolation of the acylated product. Reactions in aqueous medium, innocuous by-products and chemoselective acylation of amines in the presence of phenols and thiols have been achieved with high selectivity