A method for producing a carbonyl compound of the present invention comprises a step (X) of reacting a specific compound having a urea bond with a carbonic acid derivative having a carbonyl group (—C(═O)—) under heating at a temperature equal to or higher than the thermal dissociation temperature of the urea bond to obtain the carbonyl compound.
Symmetrical N,N'-disubstituted ureas have been synthesized and characterized. Among them, the branched dialkylureas prepared are highly soluble in organic media. Moreover, the solutions obtained are very viscous in heptane, if the branched alkyl groups are not too bulky (i.e. a methyl group on the alpha carbon, or an ethyl group on the beta carbon). Due to the strong, bifurcated hydrogen bonds between