Hofmann elimination

Hofmann elimination (also known as exhaustive methylation or Hofmann Degradation) is a process where an amine is reacted to create a tertiary amine and an alkene by 1) treatment with excess treatment with excess methyl iodide followed by 2) treatment with silver oxide, water, and heat (Fig. 1).

Related Topics:
Methylation - Amine - Alkene - Methyl - Iodide - Silver - Oxide - Water

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After Step 1, a quartenary ammonium iodide salt is created as can be seen in the exact mechanism in Figure 2.

Related Topics:
Ammonium - Iodide

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The major alkene product is the least substituted and generally the least stable. This is in direct contrast to normal elimination reactions where the more substituted, stable product is dominant.

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