Curtius rearrangement

English

Etymology

Introduced by Theodor Curtius in 1885.

Noun

Curtius rearrangement (plural Curtius rearrangements)

1. (organic chemistry, physical chemistry) The thermal decomposition of an acyl azide to an isocyanate with loss of nitrogen gas. The isocyanate then undergoes attack by a variety of nucleophiles such as water, alcohols and amines, to yield a primary amine, carbamate or urea derivative respectively.

   Synonyms: Curtius degradation, Curtius reaction

Derived terms

• photo-Curtius rearrangement