Catalyst-free Alkylation of Aromatic Amines with Aldehydes

In the absence of any additional catalysts, a series of aromatic amines were alkylated with a range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Moderate to excellent isolated yields (up to 94%) were obtained under mild conditions. Simultaneously, the reaction time dramatically shortened from hours to minutes when the Microwave technique was used. Keywords: Catalyst-free, reductive amination, aldehydes, Hantzsch ester.