Question

What are singlet and triplet nitrenes? Give at least four reactions in which nitrenes

are formed as intermediate.

Answer 1

The generic structure of a nitrene group

Nitrigen atom sp hybridized, with two of its four non-bonded electrons as a lone pair in an sp orbital and the other two occupying a degenerate pair of p orbitals. The electron configuration is consistent with Hund's rule: the low energy form is a triplet with one electron in each of the p orbitals and the high energy form is the singlet with an electron pair filling one p orbital and the other p orbital is vacant

The reactions in which nitrenes are formed as internediate are mainly rearrangements reactions, which are the following:

1.

2.

3.

4.