Iridium-catalyzed reductive hydroamination of terminal alkynes in water

Herein, we report an efficient one-pot iridium-catalyzed reductive hydroamination of terminal alkynes with amines. A variety of primary amines and secondary amines are amenable to this catalytic system, leading to the complicated aliphatic amines in excellent yields. More broadly, this straightforward and convenient transformation do not just employ inexpensive and easy to handle HCO2H as reducing agent, but also employs H2O as reaction media, which makes this strategy be in accordance with green and sustainable chemistry principles.