The electrophilic amination of carbanions: an unconventional new entry to C-N bond formation

The electrophilic amination of carbanions allows the preparation of a wide range of amines through an unconventional C-N bond-forming reaction. The concepts behind the varied synthetic approaches, classified by the nature of the aminating agent and of the organometallic species, are discussed. The mild operational conditions, the high selectivity, and the availability of the starting materials are good assets of these processes which nicely complement each other. New appealing and flexible routes can be devised, leading in several cases to the synthesis of otherwise not easily accessible N-containing compounds.