Abstract
THE thermal reactions of o-phenylenediamine with carbonyl compounds have been investigated for a number of years1–3. Recently, Elderfield4–6 has extensively investigated the cleavage of ketones with this reagent, and has found that the reaction affords 2-alkylbenzimidazoles and alkanes in high yields. Investigations of the scope of the degradation have indicated that the more substituted group is eliminated as the alkane7–9. The mechanism of this elimination is not, however, known at the present time.
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RISINGER, G. Mechanism of the o-Phenylenediamine Cleavage of Ketones. Nature 209, 1022 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2091022a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2091022a0
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