Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Modification and Functionalization of the Guanidine Group by Tailor-made Precursors
Published on: April 27, 2017
Nucleophilic Substitution at the Guanidine Carbon Center via Guanidine Cyclic Diimide Activation
1Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Despite the electron-deficient nature of the guanidine carbon centers, nucleophilic reactions at these sites have been underdeveloped because of the resonance stabilization of the guanidine group. We propose a guanidine C-N bond substitution strategy entailing the formation of guanidine cyclic diimide (GCDI) structures, which effectively destabilize the resonance structure of the guanidine group. In the presence of acid additives, the guanidine carbon center of GCDIs undergoes nucleophilic substitution reactions with various amines and alcohols.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution: Elimination–Addition
Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution of Aryldiazonium Salts: Aromatic SN1
In the Sandmeyer reaction, for example, the diazonio group is replaced by a chloro, bromo,...
Diazonium Group Substitution: –OH and –H
meta-Directing Deactivators: –NO2, –CN, –CHO, –⁠CO2R, –COR, –CO2H
Nucleophilic Acyl Substitution of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Diazonium Group Substitution with Halogens and Cyanide: Sandmeyer and Schiemann Reactions

