[2] It is one of waste products generated in amine gas treating due to cyclization of ethanolamine carbamate.

While investigating reactions of bromoethylamine hydrobromide, he treated it with silver carbonate and isolated a product with melting point around 90–91°C.

[4] Nine years later Gabriel returned to the topic together with G. Eschenbach, developing a more efficient synthesis using sodium bicarbonate instead of the silver salt.

They referred to the compound as "Oxäthylcarbaminsäureanhydrid" (hydroxyethylcarbamic acid anhydride), recognizing its relationship to ethanolamine and its cyclic structure.

Their 1897 paper focused on optimizing the yield of oxazolidone and investigating some of its reactions, such as its conversion to 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-phenylurea upon treatment with aniline.