Thermal Rearrangement of Sulfamoyl Azides: Reactivity and Mechanistic Study

The rearrangement of sulfamoyl azides under thermal conditions to form a C–C bond while breaking two C–N bonds is reported. Mechanistic study shows that this reaction goes through a Curtius-type rearrangement to form a 1,1-diazene, then which rearranges possibly through both a concerted rearrangement process and a stepwise radical process. This rearrangement could be used in the synthesis of complex biologically active molecules, such as sterols, and piperine derivatives.