On the mechanism of the reductive cleavage of anti-9-phenyl-cis-bicyclo[6.1.0]nona-2,4,6-triene

Treatment of the title compound (1a) with potassium in liquid ammonia at ca ?33° immediately afforded the benzylcyclooctatetraene dianion (4a) which, upon quenching with iodine-pentane, gave benzylcyclooctatetraene (5) as the only isolable product. In contrast, treatment of1a with potassium amide in liquid ammonia at ?69° initially afforded the 9-phenylmethylenecyclooctatrienyl anion (6a) as a short-lived intermediate which was then converted to the α-aminobenzylcyclooctatetraene dianion (7a). These results, coupled with the observation that cis-bicyclo[6.1.0]nona-2,4-diene (12) in potassium amide-liquid ammonia affords the cis-bicyclo[6.1.0]nonadienyl anion (8b) which then slowly opens to the methylcyclooctatetraene dianion (4b) at ?12°, lead to the conclusion that4a is produced by a reductive cleavage of1avia a radical anion or dianion.