What is enamine ?

Answer

### Step-by-Step Text Solution

1. **Definition of Enamine**:
Enamines are organic compounds that can be defined as alpha, beta-unsaturated amines. This means they contain a double bond between the alpha and beta carbon atoms adjacent to an amine group.

2. **Formation of Enamines**:
Enamines are formed through a reaction involving aldehydes or ketones and secondary amines. The general reaction can be summarized as follows:
- Aldehyde or ketone (RCH2C=O) reacts with a secondary amine (R'NH) to form an unstable intermediate known as carbonyl amine.

3. **Reaction Mechanism**:
- The reaction starts with the nucleophilic attack of the secondary amine on the carbonyl carbon of the aldehyde or ketone.
- This results in the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate, which is unstable and leads to the elimination of water (H2O).

4. **Final Product**:
- After the elimination of water, the final product formed is the enamine (RCH=CR'NR2), where R and R' can be hydrogen or alkyl groups.

5. **Summary**:
- Enamines are specifically formed from the reaction of aldehydes or ketones with secondary amines, resulting in a structure characterized by a double bond between the alpha and beta carbons adjacent to the nitrogen atom of the amine.