Access to 3‑Aminomethylated Maleimides via a Phosphine-Catalyzed Aza-Morita–Baylis–Hillman Type Coupling

A designed method for the preparation of 3-aminomethylated maleimides via Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction was developed. This phosphine-catalyzed coupling adopted maleimides and 1,3,5-triazinanes as the substrate, giving a series of 3-aminomethylated maleimide derivatives with a double bond retained on the maleimide ring in 41–90% yield. Acylation, isomerization, and Michael addition of the obtained products demonstrated the synthetic application of the present protocol. The results of control experiments indicated that phosphorus ylide formation and elimination take place during the reaction pathway.