Curtius reactions

Diamides and triamides have been obtained from the action of an aqueous saturated solution of ammonia on the corresponding ester (Scheme 18) (88). Amides can also be obtained by the Curtius (16) or Hofmann reactions (80). Thus the Curtius reaction with 2-substituted 4-thiazolecarboxylic acids gives the 4-acetamido compounds (16). 

Application of the Curtius reaction to the 3-carboxyl of a penicillin has provided intermediates which have been used for the construction of cephem derivatives. As can be seen in Scheme 23, this route allows the selective cleavage of the C(3)—N(4) bond of the thiazolidine ring, thereby allowing a reconstruction of that ring in a different form (72HCA388 and the following three papers). The preparation of a related intermediate is shown in Scheme 24 (76HCA2298). 

The procedure described is essentially that of Shioiri and Yamada. Diphenyl phosphorazidate is a useful and versatile reagent in organic synthesis. It has been used for racemlzatlon-free peptide syntheses, thiol ester synthesis, a modified Curtius reaction, an esterification of a-substituted carboxylic acld, formation of diketoplperazines, alkyl azide synthesis, phosphorylation of alcohols and amines,and polymerization of amino acids and peptides. - Furthermore, diphenyl phosphorazidate acts as a nitrene source and as a 1,3-dipole.An example in the ring contraction of cyclic ketones to form cycloalkanecarboxylic acids is presented in the next procedure, this volume. 

Recently Hofmann has found that when the azide hydrochlorides of the lysergic and fsolysergic acids, or of their dihydro-derivatives, are boiled in dilute hydrochloric acid, a Curtius reaction occiys and the carboxyl is replaced by an amino-group. In this way he has prepared the following amines. They melt with decornposition and the specific rotations are for pyridine as solvent — ... 

The thermal decomposition of an acyl azide 1 to yield an isocyanate 2 by loss of N., is called the Curtius reaction - or Curtius rearrangement. It is closely... 

By application of the Schmidt reaction, the conversion of a carboxylic acid into an amine that has one carbon atom less than the carboxylic acid, can be achieved in one step. This may be of advantage when compared to the Curtius reaction or the Hofmann rearrangement, however the reaction conditions are more drastic. With long-chain, aliphatic carboxylic acids yields are generally good, while with aryl derivatives yields are often low. 

The ketocarbene 4 that is generated by loss of Na from the a-diazo ketone, and that has an electron-sextet, rearranges to the more stable ketene 2 by a nucleophilic 1,2-shift of substituent R. The ketene thus formed corresponds to the isocyanate product of the related Curtius reaction. The ketene can further react with nucleophilic agents, that add to the C=0-double bond. For example by reaction with water a carboxylic acid 3 is formed, while from reaction with an alcohol R -OH an ester 5 is obtained directly. The reaction with ammonia or an amine R -NHa leads to formation of a carboxylic amide 6 or 7 ... 

Tertiary alkyl azides can be prepared by stirring tertiary alkyl chlorides with NaN3 and ZnCl2 in 82 ° or by treating tertiary alcohols with NaN3 and CF3-COOH or with HN3 andTiCl4 or BF3. Acyl azides, which can be used in the Curtius reaction (18-14), can be similarly prepared from acyl halides, anhydrides, " esters, or other acyl derivatives. ° Acyl azides can also be prepared... 

The Curtius reaction has occasionally been used in formation of medium268 and large269 rings, usually in modest yield. 

Another reaction that can be used for conversion of carboxylic acids to the corresponding amines with loss of carbon dioxide is the Hofmann rearrangement. The classic reagent is hypobromite ion, which reacts to form an A-bromoamide intermediate. Like the Curtius reaction, this rearrangement is believed to be a concerted process and proceeds through an isocyanate intermediate. 

Carboxylic acids and esters can also be converted to amines with loss of the carbonyl group by reaction with hydrazoic acid, HN3, which is known as the Schmidt reaction,278 The mechanism is related to that of the Curtius reaction. An azido intermediate is generated by addition of hydrazoic acid to the carbonyl group. The migrating group retains its stereochemical configuration. 

The Curtius and Schmidt reactions both involve N2 as the leaving group from the azide intermediate (67), and here again the migration of R occurs in a concerted process. The azide may be obtained either by nitrosation of an acid hydrazide (65)—Curtius reaction—or by the reaction of hydrazoic acid, HN3, on a carboxylic acid (66)—the Schmidt reaction. 

A violent explosion occurred during vacuum distillation of 4-chlorophenyl isocyanate, prepared by Curtius reaction from the azide. It was found by IR spectroscopy that this isocyanate (as well as others prepared analogously) contained some unchanged azide, to which the explosion was attributed. The use of IR spectroscopy to check for absence of azides in isocyanates is recommended before distillation [1], Subsequently, the explosion was attributed to free hydrogen azide, produced by hydrolysis of the unchanged acyl azide [2],... 

Curtius reaction, modification using mixed carboxylic-... 

T Shiori, T Ninomia, S Yamada. Diphenylphosphoryl azide. A new convenient reagent for a modified Curtius reaction and for peptide synthesis. J Am Chem Soc 94, 6203,... 

Curtius reaction org chem A laboratory method for degrading a carboxylic acid to a primary amine by converting the acid to an acyl azide to give products which can be hydrolyzed to amines. kard e as re,ak-shan cyanaicohoi See cyanohydrin.. sT an al ka.hol ... 

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