What is benzilic acid rearrangement?
The benzilic acid rearrangement, also known as the benzil-benzilic acid rearrangement, is a chemical reaction that occurs when benzil is treated with a base.
The benzilic acid rearrangement involves the migration of a phenyl group, leading to the formation of benzylic acid. It’s worth noting that this type of rearrangement is not exclusive to benzil and can also occur in α-dicarbonyl compounds involving the migration of other groups.
References
- Liebig, J. (1838), Ueber Laurent’s Theorie der organischen Verbindungen. [On Laurent’s Theory of Organic Compounds] Ann. Pharm., 25: 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1002/jlac.18380250102
- Zinin, N. (1839), Beiträge zur Kenntniss einiger Verbindungen aus der Benzoylreihe. [Contributions to the knowledge of some compounds of the benzoyl series.] Ann. Pharm., 31: 329-332. https://doi.org/10.1002/jlac.18390310312
Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Granada, with a long-standing research career in Computational Chemistry and molecular modeling and design.