Amination of the Ortho C–H Bonds by the Cu(OAc)2-mediated Reaction of 2-Phenylpyridines with Anilines

The reaction of 2-phenylpyridines with anilines in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 as a promoter results in selective mono-amination of the ortho C–H bonds in 2-phenylpyridines to give amine derivatives in high yields per the conversion. This is the rare example of the functionalization of C–H bonds to C–N bonds.