| Abstract: | Thermal decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate in 6 molar equivalents of 2.6-dimethylnaphthalene yielded 58 per cent of carbethoxycarbene monoadducts which comprise 74 per cent ethyl 2.6-dimethyl-1a.7b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropaa]naphthalene-(1)-carboxylate (VI), 15 per cent of the isomeric 1b.5-dimethyl compound VIII and 9 per cent of ethyl 2.7-dimethyl-5H-benzocyclohepten-(6)-carboxylate (X). The higher boiling fraction of the product contained 11 per cent of diadduct XXIV. These compounds were structurally elucidated, especially by oxidation and hydrogenation, and were characterised by U.V. and I.R. spectra. The partial rate factors of carbethoxycarbene addition, with reference to the 1.2-bond of naphthalene taken as 1.0, were 1.4 for the 1.2-bond and 4.2 for the 3.4-bond of 2.6-dimethylnaphthalene. |
