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Hofmann rearrangement

  • Page ID
    15634
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    Hofmann rearrangement, also known as Hofmann degradation and not to be confused with Hofmann elimination, is the reaction of a primary amide with a halogen (chlorine or bromine) in strongly basic (sodium or potassium hydroxide) aqueous medium, which converts the amide to a primary amine. For example:

    hofmannrearrangement1.png

    Mechanism:

    hofmannrearrangement2.png


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