LAUSR

Hydroamination is an atom-economical reaction to form C–N bonds, which are ubiquitous in organic compounds. Hydroamination has seen prolific advancements and has mostly focused on the development of homogeneous catalysts based on lanthanides or transition metals. Here, we have developed silica-supported, site-isolated Zn(II) sites through a combined surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) and thermolytic molecular precursor (TMP) approach and show that they catalyze the intramolecular hydroamination of alkynes. This material is applicable to a broad range of substrates. On the basis of kinetics and in situ IR spectroscopic studies, we propose that the mechanism involves coordination of the aminoalkyne onto Zn(II) followed by the heterolytic activation of the N–H bond and subsequent cyclization and proton transfer.