What is the Carbylamine Reaction?

The Carbylamine Reaction, also known as the Hofmann isocyanide synthesis, is a chemical reaction that involves the formation of an isocyanide (also known as carbylamine) from a primary amine, chloroform, and a base. The general reaction can be represented as:

R-NH₂ + CHCl₃ + 3KOH → R-NC + 3KCl + 3H₂O

Here, 'R' represents an alkyl or aryl group. The reaction is significant in organic chemistry because it is used to test for primary amines. Only primary amines react in this way, producing a foul-smelling isocyanide, which makes it a useful qualitative test.