A practical approach to non-natural or N-unsubstituted α-arylglycine derivatives: Hf(OTf)4-doped Me3SiCl system-catalyzed aminomethylation of electron-rich arenes with a new type of N,O-acetal
demonstrated the Hf(OTf)4-doped Me3SiCl system-catalyzed aminomethylation of electron-richaromaticcompounds, such as indoles and anilines, with new types of N,O-acetals having a variety of functional groups, such as cyano, ester, bis(trimethylsilyl)amino, diallylamino, and cyclic amino moieties, for the preparation of non-natural aromatic amino acid derivatives. Aminomethylation using an N,O-acetal with a