Covalent amination of heteroaromatic compounds

The discovery that heteroaromatic molecules may be transformed into their covalent hydrates in aqueous solution is of great importance. In the hydration process a water molecule or hydroxide ion serving as a nucleophile adds to a ring carbon atom to give a hydroxy derivative. This brings about major changes in the physical and chemical properties of the original substance. We wish to call attention by this report to analogous structural transformations involving heteroaromatic molecules in ammonia solvent.