N,N-Dialkyl Amides as Versatile Synthons for Synthesis of Heterocycles and Acyclic Systems

N,N-Dialkyl amides such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), are common polar solvents, finds application as a multipurpose reagent in synthetic organic chemistry. They are cheap, readily available and versatile synthons that can be used in a variety of ways to generate different functional groups. In recent years, many publications showcasing, excellent and useful applications of N,N-dialkyl amides in amination (R-NMe2), formylation (R-CHO), as a single carbon source (R-C), methylene group (R-CH2), cyanation (R-CN), amidoalkylation (-R), aminocarbonylation (R-CONMe2), carbonylation (R-CO) and heterocycle synthesis appeared. This chapter highlights important developments in the employment of N,N-dialkyl amides in the synthesis of heterocycles and functionalization of acyclic systems. Although some review articles covered the application of DMF and/or DMA in organic functional group transformations, there is no specialized review on their application in the synthesis of cyclic and acyclic systems.