Reaction Mechanism
The Curtius rearrangement may be thought of as a two-step process, the first step being the loss of nitrogen gas, forming an acyl nitrene (2), and the second step being the rearrangement of acyl nitrenes by migration of R-group to form the desired isocyanate (3). However, current evidence indicates that these two steps are likely concerted (i.e., they occur at the same time), and no free nitrene intermediate is formed.
Read more about this topic: Curtius Rearrangement
Famous quotes containing the words reaction and/or mechanism:
“Children, randomly at first, hit upon something sooner or later that is their mother’s and/or father’s Achilles’ heel, a kind of behavior that especially upsets, offends, irritates or embarrasses them. One parent dislikes name-calling, another teasing...another bathroom jokes. For the parents, this behavior my have ties back to their childhood, many have been something not allowed, forbidden, and when it appears in the child, it causes high-voltage reaction in the parent.”
—Ellen Galinsky (20th century)
“Life is an offensive, directed against the repetitious mechanism of the Universe.”
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947)