Curtius rearrangement
Noun
Meaning
Curtius rearrangement (plural Curtius rearrangements)
(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
Examples
This synthetic intermediate can be transformed into amphetamine using either a Hofmann or Curtius rearrangement (method 4).