The pyrolysis of bis[phenyl(p-tolyl)methyl] oxalate: competing fragmentation to radicals and carbenes
Abstract
The 2-methylfluorene recovered from the pyrolysis of the bis [phenyl(p-tolyl)methyl] oxalate is shown to arise from fragmentation to a carbene, thereby providing the first example of a carbene-producing pathway competing with the production of radicals in oxalate pyrolysis.