Pd/C Catalyzed Carbonylation of Azides in the Presence of Amines

A facile and efficient Pd/C-catalyzed carbonylation of both aliphatic and aromatic azides in the presence of amines is reported. Serving as the widely existed fragments in an array of biological pharmaceuticals, functionalized unsymmetrical ureas were straightforwardly synthesized by using readily available and cheap azides with amines under CO atmosphere, with the extrusion of N₂ as the only byproduct. It was found that not only aryl azides but also benzyl and alkyl azides were suited for this methodology. Another feature of this procedure was the employment of a highly efficient palladium charcoal catalytic system.