Curtius rearrangement

noun

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.

Similar
Curtius degradationCurtius reaction
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Meanings

nounCurtius rearrangement (plural Curtius rearrangements)

plural Curtius rearrangements

  1. physicalchemistryThe 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

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe 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.

Similar
Curtius degradationCurtius reaction
Also see
curtius degradationcurtius reaction

Origin

Introduced by Theodor Curtius in 1885.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Curtius rearrangement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Curtius%20rearrangement

MLA

“Curtius rearrangement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Curtius%20rearrangement. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Curtius rearrangement,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Curtius%20rearrangement.

Source: Curtius rearrangement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.