This manuscript is dedicated to (Late) Prof. Alan R Katritzky for his contribution
to benzotriazole chemistry.
The good leaving tendency of the benzotriazole moiety has been exploited for the synthesis
of symmetric, unsymmetric, N-acyl, and cyclic ureas in good yields from N-acylbenzotriazoles by treating the latter with various amines in the presence of
TMSN3/Et3N in a sealed tube. The salient features of the devised protocol includes the high-yield,
mild, metal-free, one-pot reaction conditions, and short reaction time. Furthermore,
in many cases, no column chromatography is required for the purification.
Key words
ureas - benzotriazole - Curtius rearrangement -
N-acylbenzotriazole - introduction
