A large variety of aryl and heterocyclic chiral and achiral imines can be generated simply, efficiently, and cleanly through the use of microwave irradiation and the use of a small amount of molecular sieve. Reactions are rapid and complete in a matter of minutes, and can be quantitative, reducing significantly the time and amount of solvents used in compound isolation and purification.
Many amines are liquid and their handling is inconvenient compared with the corresponding solids.