A series of seven cyclopent-3-en-1-ylmethylamines bearing one, two, or three methyl substituents at the C2, C3, C4, or C α positions, including the unsubstituted parent, was accessed by ring-closing metatheses of α,α-diallylacetonitrile (or methallyl variants) and α,α-diallylacetone followed by hydride reductions, or by Curtius degradations of α,α-dimethyl-and 2,2,3-trimethylcyclopent-3-enylacetic acids. Oxidation of the primary amines with Pb(OAc) 4 in CH 2 Cl 2 , CHCl 3 or benzene in the presence of K 2 CO 3 effected efficient intramolecular aziridinations, in all cases except the α-methyl analogue (16), to form the corresponding 1-azatricyclo[2.2.1.0 2,6 ]heptanes, including the novel monoterpene analogues, 1-azatricyclene and the 2-azatricyclene enantiomers. The cumulative rate increases of aziridination reactions observed by 1 H NMR spectroscopy in CDCl 3 resulting from the presence of one or two methyl groups on the cyclopentene double bond, in comparison to the rate of the unsubstituted parent amine (1 : 17.5 : >280), indicate a highly electrophilic intermediate as the nitrene donor and a symmetrical aziridine-like transition state. A mechanism is outlined in which the amine displaces an acetate ligand from Pb(OAc) 4 to form a lead(IV) amide intermediate RNHPb(OAc) 3 proposed as the actual aziridinating species.