C−N Bond Formation Using Paraformaldehyde as C1 Source – Recent Advances

Abstract Recently, polyformaldehyde (PFA) has been used as C1 source to synthesize a series of value‐added compounds due to its low price, stability, low level of toxicity and easy operation. Exploiting paraformaldehyde as C1 source, rather than using traditional methylation reagent to develop benign N ‐methylation reactions, can be more environment‐friendly and make the chemical industry more sustainable. In this paper, the chemical transformation of polyformaldehyde and a new strategy of methylating polyformaldehyde with amine compound to methylamine compound are reviewed. These methods will provide a reference for researchers to synthesize a large number of methylamine compounds in a short reaction by using paraformaldehyde as a single carbon source.