N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-Catalyzed Tail-to-Tail Dimerization of Acrylamides

The tail-to-tail dimerization of acrylamides enables the formation of diamides. However, only one example of N,N-dimethylacrylamide has been described in the literature. Herein, an NHC-catalyzed tail-to-tail dimerization of acrylamides in moderate to excellent yields is presented. In this context, N-arylacrylamides are susceptible to the dimerization reaction, which features high reaction efficiency, good E-selectivity, and easy operation.