The Wolff rearrangement is a conversion reaction in organic chemistry, where an α-diazo ketone is converted to a ketene. This comment was first described by Ludwig Wolff in 1912.
The rearrangement is catalyzed by light, heat or a transition metal catalyst such as silver oxide. Nitrogen gas is then exempted, which forms a carbene transition state which then surrounds. This 1,2-reposition is the main step in the Arndt-Eistert reaction.
In a 2006 study, the Wolff rearrangement is performed in an electrochemical arrangement where the catalyst silver oxide is reduced to elemental silver in the form of nanoparticles (2-4 nm diameter) which forms the product via a radical cation.
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