Written by J.A Dobado | Last Updated on September 15, 2025
What is Wallach rearrangement?
The Wallach rearrangement is a chemical reaction in which azoxybenzenes are rearranged under acidic conditions to produce p-hydroxyazobenzenes. This reaction is catalyzed by an acid and involves a rearrangement of the molecular structure. As a result of the Wallach rearrangement, the starting material, azoxybenzenes, are transformed into p-hydroxyazobenzenes.
References
Wallach, O. and Belli, L. (1880), Ueber die Umwandlung von Azoxybenzol in Oxyazobenzol. [On the conversion of azoxybenzene to oxyazobenzene.] Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges., 13: 525-527. https://doi.org/10.1002/cber.188001301153
Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Granada, with a long-standing research career in Computational Chemistry and molecular modeling and design.