Hydroamination of alkenes with dinitrogen and titanium polyhydrides.

An ideal synthesis of alkyl amines would involve the direct use of abundant and easily accessible molecules such as dinitrogen (N) and feedstock alkenes. However, this ambition remains a great challenge as it is usually difficult to simultaneously activate both N and a simple alkene and combine them together through carbon-nitrogen (C-N) bond formation. Currently, the synthesis of alkyl amines relies on the use of ammonia produced through the Haber-Bosch process and prefunctionalized electrophilic carbon sources.