Mechanistic studies of the copper-catalyzed electrophilic amination of diorganozinc reagents and development of a zinc-free protocol.

[reaction: see text] An SN2 mechanism for the copper-catalyzed amination of diorganozinc reagents by O-benzoyl-N,N-dialkylhydroxylamines is supported by following stereochemically defined organometallics through the reaction and by employing the endocyclic restriction test. A copper-catalyzed electrophilic amination of organomagnesium compounds is also described in which the use of zinc halides has been eliminated.