Amines via Hydroaminomethylation: An Updated Overview

Aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines are widely used in the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes, surfactants and rubber chemicals. Most traditional synthetic methods are often unsuitable for large-scale production due to poor selectivity, harsh reaction conditions and the cost of starting materials. In this context, hydroaminomethylation (HAM) is a very attractive catalytic process with high atom economy that starts from inexpensive reagents, such as alkenes. This review aims to provide an updated overview of hydroaminomethylation as a useful tool for synthesizing aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines. Therefore, the discussion will focus on both unsaturated starting compounds and the amines obtained by this one-pot reaction.