Recent advances in α-oxo nitrenes: from fundamental properties to reactivity

Nitrenes are versatile diradical intermediates involved in organic synthesis, biochemistry, combustion and interstellar chemistry. As a class of transient species, α-oxygen-substituted (α-oxo) nitrenes have attracted significant attention. Their fundamentally important molecular structures and reactivities have been the focus of numerous experimental and computational investigations over the past few decades. However, the direct spectroscopic detection and reaction studies of free α-oxo nitrenes are largely hampered by their high reactivity under their formation conditions, due to rapid intramolecular rearrangement reactions and intermolecular trapping reactions with substrates or solvent molecules. This review mainly focuses on recent progress in the generation, low-temperature characterization, and reaction investigations of four types of prototype α-oxo nitrenes. The reactivity of these α-oxo nitrenes disclosed in this review provides valuable information for further exploration of their applications in the future.