Chemical Sciences: A Manual for CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test for Lectureship and JRF/Named Reactions/Hofmann-Loffor-Freytage Reaction

The Hofmann-Löffler reaction or Hofmann-Löffler-Freytag Reaction is an organic reaction is which a haloamine is converted to a cyclic amine such as a pyrrolidine with heat and an acid.

An example is the synthesis of n-butylpyrrolidine:



The reaction type is a radical substitution. In the first step the halogen atom migrates from nitrogen to a gamma or delta carbon position in a rearrangement reaction.

A conceptually related reaction is the Barton reaction.