A convenient Hofmann reaction of carboxamides and cyclic imides mediated by trihaloisocyanuric acids

A simple, efficient and pot-economic approach in a single vessel has been developed for conversion of aromatic and aliphatic carboxamides into primary amines with one fewer carbom atom (Hofmann reaction) in 38–89 % yield by reacting with trichloro- or tribromoisocyanuric acid and sodium hydroxide in aqueous acetonitrile. Under the same reaction conditions, cyclic imides gave amino acids (69–83 %). The role of the trihaloisocyanuric acids is the in situ generation of N-haloamides, key-intermediates for the Hofmann reaction. The scalability of the methodology was demonstrated by a multigram-scale transformation of phthalimide into anthranilic acid in 77 % yield.