Zinc-Mediated Four-Component Carbonylation toward Direct Synthesis of α-Amino Ketones.

α-Amino ketone plays an important role in medicinal chemistry due to its excellent multiple reaction sites, which serve as a chemical hub for constructing complex molecules. Moreover, its skeleton is also found in many bioactive molecules. The traditional methods for synthesizing α-amino ketones are usually limited by harsh reaction conditions and the use of presynthesized and toxic reagents. As a readily available synthetic reagent, organic iodides play an important role in organic synthesis due to their high reactivity and high functional group compatibility. Herein, we report a zinc-mediated carbonylation reaction involving alkyl iodides, aldehydes, and amines, which efficiently synthesized a series of α-amino ketone compounds.