Reductive amination is a two-step process that converts aldehydes and ketones into amines.
First, the aldehyde or ketone reacts with an ammonium salt or ammonia to form an imine or iminium ion intermediate.
Then, this intermediate is reduced, typically using hydrogen with a metal catalyst or by a chemical reducing agent like sodium cyanoborohydride, to form the amine.
Reductive amination is widely used for the selective preparation of primary, secondary and tertiary amines.