Hydride Abstraction from Benzocyclopropene. Preliminary communication

The reaction between benzocyclopropene ( 1 ) and triphenylmethyl fluoroborate in acetonitrile shows an isotope effect of 6.7 and the isolation of the resulting triphenylmethane and benzaldehyde has been effected. A mechanism for the formation of the latter is proposed, involving an intermediate benzocyclopropenium ion ( 2 ).