nitrene

thumb|115px|right|The generic structure of a nitrene group

In chemistry, a nitrene or imene () is the nitrogen analogue of a carbene. The nitrogen atom is uncharged and monovalent, so it has only 6 electrons in its valence level—two covalent bonded and four non-bonded electrons. It is therefore considered an electrophile due to the unsatisfied octet. A nitrene is a reactive intermediate and is involved in many chemical reactions. The simplest nitrene, HN, is called imidogen, and that term is sometimes used as a synonym for the nitrene class.