C-H imidation: a distinct perspective of C-N bond formation.

The direct imidation strategy proficiently constructs C-N bonds and creates the useful amine functional group in the molecular template. This review briefly discusses the synthetic methods developed for the direct imidation of unactivated C(sp2 /sp3 /sp)-H bonds. Transition-metal catalysts, metal-free processes, and/or photo-induced methods are invariably employed for accomplishing C-H imidation transformations. The contents summarized herein would benefit the research community to use the C-H imidation reactions for broad synthetic applications and to unravel novel C-N bond forming processes.