Photo-Driven Direct Construction of Imidazolidines from Anilines and Paraformaldehyde and Its Application in Polyoxymethylene Plastics Usage.

Imidazolines play pivotal roles in numerous fields. However, the direct construction of imidazolines from primary amines involves precise C-C and C-N bond formations, rendering this area still underdeveloped to this day. Herein, a photo-driven metal-free catalytic system has been successfully applied to a novel coupling-cyclization reaction between arylamines and formaldehyde, enabling the direct synthesis of various 1,3-diarylimidazolines from primary amines. Notably, this method also facilitates the chemical conversion of polyoxymethylene plastics under these conditions. The present work provides new insights and directions for both imidazoline synthesis and plastic degradation.