The retro-Diels-Alder reaction is a thermal reaction where a cyclic compound, typically a six-membered ring, breaks apart to regenerate its diene and dienophile components. This reaction is essentially the reverse of the Diels-Alder reaction, which involves the formation of a cyclohexene from a diene and a dienophile, and is important in understanding how certain molecular fragments can dissociate under specific conditions.
congrats on reading the definition of retro-diels-alder reaction. now let's actually learn it.