Amination
# Amination

Amination is the process by which an amine group is introduced into an organic molecule. This type of reaction is important because organonitrogen compounds are pervasive.

## Reactions

### Aminase enzymes

Enzymes that catalyse this reaction are termed aminases. Amination can occur in a number of ways including reaction with ammonia or another amine such as an alkylation, reductive amination and the Mannich reaction.

### Acid-catalysed hydroamination

Many alkyl amines are produced industrially by the amination of alcohols using ammonia in the presence of solid acid catalysts. Illustrative is the production of tert-butylamine:

    $NH_3$ + $CH_2=C(CH_3)_2$ → $H_2NC(CH_3)_3$

The Ritter reaction of isobutene with hydrogen cyanide is not useful in this case because it produces too much waste.

### Electrophilic amination

Usually, the amine reacts as the nucleophile with another organic compound acting as the electrophile. This sense of reactivity may be reversed for some electron-deficient amines, including oxaziridines, hydroxylamines, oximes, and other N–O substrates. When the amine is used as an electrophile, the reaction is called electrophilic amination. Electron-rich organic substrates that may be used as nucleophiles for this process include carbanions and enolates.

### Miscellaneous methods

Alpha hydroxy acids can be converted into amino acids directly using aqueous ammonia solution, hydrogen gas and a heterogeneous metallic ruthenium catalyst.

### Metal-catalyzed hydroamination

In hydroamination, amines add to alkenes.

