Abstract

The reaction between equimolar quantities of hydrazoic acid and carbonyl compounds in the presence of a strong mineral acid has become known as the Schmidt reaction It offers a convenient method for the preparation of amines from acids. Aldehydes yield nitriles and formyl derivatives of amines, and ketones yield amides. With hydrazoic acid in large excess, aldehydes and ketones yield substituted tetrazoles. The reaction of carbonyl compounds with hydrazoic acid was first reported by Karl Friedrich Schmidt in 1923.