Nitrogen atom insertion into NN double bonds: straightforward access to triazenes

The present work documents the insertion of one nitrogen atom into a diazene moiety, providing direct access to the triazene core. <i>N</i>-Amino pyridinium iodide was used as the single-nitrogen-atom transfer reagent in the reaction. The strategy was applied for the synthesis of a hypoxia-activated triazene prodrug. The methodology is notable for its mild conditions, operational simplicity and wide scope.