A m-benzyne to o-benzyne conversion through a 1,2-shift of a phenyl group

J Am Chem Soc. 2003 May 28;125(21):6485-90. doi: 10.1021/ja0213672.

Abstract

Pyrolysis of two differently labeled versions of 3-phenylphthalic anhydride shows that a m-benzyne can form the related o-benzyne through shift of a phenyl group. The highest energy point in the process is the transition structure for a reverse carbon-hydrogen insertion in an intermediate benzopentalene. With the minor addition of an intermediate alkyne formed through a Roger Brown rearrangement, the original mechanism for formation of acenaphthalene accommodates the labeling results.