Using Acylation to Modify Amines

Amines can be modified by acylation to form amides. In this reaction, a carboxylic acid derivative such as an acid chloride, ester, or anhydride provides the acyl group. The process uses two equivalents of amine, and each one has a different job.

The first amine acts as a nucleophile. It attacks ...

Acylation of amines using different carboxylic derivatives produces amides.

Acylation replaces the leaving group attached to the carbonyl carbon with an amino group.

First, the nucleophilic amine approaches the carbonyl carbon to form a tetrahedral intermediate. A subsequent loss of the leaving group reconstructs the carbonyl bond....