The pyrolysis of 6a,11b-Dihydro-7-thiabenzo[c]fluorene 7,7-dioxide and some of its derivatives

Abstract

It is shown that heat in the absence of a solvent converts the title compound into benzo[k,l]thioxanthen 7,7-dioxide, 7-thiabenzo[c]fluorene, and o-(1-naphthyl)-benzenesulphonic acid. From these results and a consideration of the related pyrolyses of the 3,10- and 1,8-dimethyl derivatives of the title compound, a free-radical rearrangement mechanism is proposed to explain the observations.