Abstract:
The 3d-metal mediated amination of (un)functionalised C–H bonds by the formal insertion of a nitrene function is an atom economic access to secondary amines. Despite its increasing use in organic synthesis, the nature and properties of the nitrene transferring [MNR] unit is only partially understood.
In this context we are concerned with low-coordinate late 3d-metal imido complexes (Cr–Ni), where we try to disentangle the different factors, e.g. metal, spin state or formal oxidation state, that contribute to their C–H bond activation reactivity. For that we employ linear low-valent 3d-metal complexes, which by themselves constitute a rather young, underused yet versatile com-pound class in coordination chemistry.