Final answer:
The treatment of acetamide with hot concentrated sulfuric acid results in a Hofmann rearrangement, yielding methyl amine by removing a carbon atom from the original amide structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
Amides such as acetamide and hexanamide can be produced through a reaction known as amidation, where a carboxylic acid reacts with an amine, analogous to ester formation. When treating acetamide with hot concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), a chemical transformation known as Hofmann rearrangement occurs. This reaction results in the degradation of the amide to a primary amine with one fewer carbon atom than the original amide.
The process involves the generation of an isocyanate intermediate that hydrolyzes to give the amine. Therefore, when acetamide undergoes this reaction, the resultant compound is methyl amine, an amine where the amide's acyl group (CO-) is replaced by a hydrogen atom, retaining the original methyl group (CH₃-).