A Mechanochemical-Assisted Oxidation of Amines to Carbonyl Compounds and Nitriles

A mild, efficient, metal- and solvent-free oxidation of primary amines to aldehydes, ketones, and nitriles under ball-milling conditions is presented. This method has proved to be compatible with various functional groups and only requires easily accessible starting materials. Simple purification of the reaction mixtures by short-column chromatography afforded pure aldehydes, ketones, and nitriles as products.