Tri-n-butylphosphane catalyzed ring opening of aziridines with secondary amines

Ring opening of aziridine with dialkyl amine took place readily in the presence of catalytic amounts of tri-n-butylphosphane (10 mol%) in the mixture of CH3CN/H2O (10:1), giving corresponding vicinal diamines in mediate to high yields (58–95%) with good regioselectivitie, while aromatic secondary amine could not react under the same conditions. Tri-n-butylphosphane exhibited different catalytic selectivity to amines from Lewis acid catalysts.