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Removal\/detoxification of carbonyl compounds requires selective small molecule scavengers; however, few molecules suitable for this task have been fully characterised. Here, we report NMR-based kinetic and selectivity studies on representative 1-amino-but-3-enes, which are reported to be selective formaldehyde scavengers. Our experiments reveal that 1-amino-but-3-enes containing phenyl groups at position 1 react with formaldehyde via a 2-aza-Cope rearrangement. However, they also react with other carbonyl compounds, including the biologically relevant 1,2-dicarbonyl compound glyoxylic acid. The most efficient and promiscuous scavenging compound promoted the growth of\n                    <jats:italic>Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n                    cells, while studies on cell lysate revealed potential for aldehyde sequestration. Overall, our analyses suggest that 1-amino-but-3-enes can be used to scavenge a variety of toxic carbonyl compounds and may be used in imaging and quantification studies, as well as for biomedical applications.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s42004-025-01873-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T20:32:53Z","timestamp":1768249973000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["1-Amino-but-3-enes scavenge formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Natasha F. 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