A Simple and Convenient Method for the Synthesis of N,N-Diaryl Tertiary Amines

Direct preparation of tertiary amines in which two substituents are aromatic is described. In the presence of either the inorganic base sodium tert-butoxide or the sterically hindered organic base diisopropylethylamine, the alkylation of secondary diarylamines is achieved smoothly. In contrast to methods previously reported in the literature, this procedure is high-yielding and does not require the use of transition-metal catalysts or functional-group-intolerant hydride reductants.