A one-pot tandem direct reductive amination of aldehydes with primary amines resulting in N- Boc secondary amines using a (Boc) 2O/sodium triacetoxyborohydride (STAB) system is reported. The tandem procedure is efficient, selective, and versatile, giving excellent yields of N-Boc protected secondary amines even in those cases where the products are prone to intramolecular lactamization.
