Transition-metal-catalyzed transformations of C–N single bonds: Advances in the last five years, challenges and prospects

Nitrogen atom widely exists in many organic molecules and biomacromolecules. Therefore, the formation and transformation of C–N bonds are one of the most attractive topics in organic synthetic chemistry. Although a few works in this area had been reported before 2010, more than 250 papers focus on this field were published thereafter. This paper reviewed recent works on the synthesis of 21 types of frequently-encountered molecules from simple N-containing compounds catalyzed by various transition-metals.