MECHANISMS OF PROCESSES INVOLVING BETA-SUBSTITUTED CYCLOPROPYL RADICALS - RING EXPANSION IN THE REACTION WITH CO

The reaction of beta-substituted cyclopropyl radicals with CO was stud ied by ESR. The acyl radical resulting from the addition of CO to the cyclopropyl radical was detected. At temperatures near 270 K, an intra molecular rearrangement of the acyl radical affords substituted 2-oxoc yclobutyl radicals (ring expansion reaction). Mechanisms for the free- radical transformations studied were suggested.