Direct Amidation from Alcohols and Amines through a Tandem Oxidation Process Catalyzed by Heterogeneous‐Polymer‐Incarcerated Gold Nanoparticles under Aerobic Conditions

We describe herein a highly elegant and suitable synthesis of amide products from alcohols and amines through a tandem oxidation process that uses molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant. Carbon‐black‐stabilized polymer‐incarcerated gold (PICB‐Au) or gold/cobalt (PICB‐Au/Co) nanoparticles were employed as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst depending on alcohol reactivity and generated only water as the major co‐product of the reaction. A wide scope of substrate applicability was shown with 42 examples. The catalysts could be recovered and reused without loss of activity by using a simple operation.