Flash vacuum thermolysis of spirocyclohexadienones

In an attempt to prepare short-bridged hydroxymetacyclophanes $\text{1b-d}$, the spirocyclohexadienones $\text{2b-d}$ were pyrolyzed by flash vacuum thermolysis (FVT). Instead of $\text{1b-d}$, variable amounts of 4-(5-hexenyl)phenol ($\text{4b}$), β-hydroxybenzocycloalkenes ($\text{5b-d}$) and 4-(trans-1-alkenyl) phenols ($\text{6c-d}$) were obtained. The formation of these products is explained by invoking cleavage of a spiro bond in $\text{2}$ under formation of the intermediate diradical $\text{3}$ which, depending on the length of the aliphatic chain and on the temperature, has several pathways open for isomerization to spin-paired products.