C-H amination of enolizable and nonenolizable ketones.

We present a method for the amination of enolizable and non-enolizable ketones in the alpha (or beta) position to the carbonyl group. This approach is based on the conversion of the corresponding cyanohydrins to carbonazidates, precursors for thermal intramolecular nitrene insertion reactions into the adjacent C-H bond. Hydrolysis of the resulting carbamates under basic conditions with simultaneous regeneration of the carbonyl group yields amino ketones.