Eliminative ring fission. The retro-Thorpe–Ingold effect
Abstract
In eliminative ring fission of cyclopropanes by the (E1cB)Rmechanism, gem-dimehtyl substitution substantially raises ΔH‡; for oxirans, which react by the E2 mechanism, this retro-Thorpe–Ingold effect is insufficient to make ring cleavage rate-determining.