Dicationic (bpy)Pt(II) complexes were found to catalyze the intramolecular hydrohydrazination of alkenes. Reaction optimization revealed Pt(bpy)Cl(2) (10 mol %) and AgOTf (20 mol %) in DMF-d(7) to be an effective catalyst system for the conversion of substituted hydrazides to five- and six-membered N-amino lactams (N-amino = N-acetamido at 120 degrees C, N-phthalimido at 80 degrees C, (-)OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate). Of the four possible regioisomeric products, only the product of 5-exo cyclization at the proximal nitrogen is formed, without reaction at the distal nitrogen or 6-endo cyclization. The resting states were found to be a 2:1 Pt-amidate complex (25, for N-acetamido) of the deprotonated hydrazide and a Pt-alkyl complex of the cyclized pyrrolidinone (20 for N-phthalimido). Both complexes are catalytically competent. Catalysis using 25 as the precatalyst shows no rate dependence on added acid (HOTf) or base (2,6-lutidine). The available mechanistic data are all consistent with a mechanism involving N-H activation of the hydrazide, followed by insertion of the alkene into the Pt-N bond, and finally protonation of the resulting cyclized alkyl complex by hydrazide to release the hydrohydrazination product and regenerate the active Pt-amidate catalyst.