Amination of Nitro-Substituted Heteroarenes by Nucleophilic Substitution of Hydrogen

An open-air method for the transition metal-free direct amination of nitro­(hetero)­arenes by anilines is disclosed. In this methodology, an aromatic C–H bond is substituted via oxidative nucleophilic aromatic substitution of hydrogen (ONSH). Density functional theory calculations and mechanistic studies support a dianion pathway with oxidation by molecular oxygen as the rate-limiting step.