A Comparison of Skeletal Rearrangement Reactions of Even-Electron Anions in Solution and in the Gas Phase

Abstract There is significant correspondence between certain skeletal rearrangement processes of close-shell organic anions in the condensed and gas phases. Examples of such correspondence include the acyloin, acyl oxyacetate, anionic oxy Cope, anionic Wolff, benzilic acid, Dieckmann, Lossen, Smiles and Wittig rearrangements. In contrast, there are some rearrangements observed in the condensed phase, which are either minor or do not occur at all in the gas phase. The Favorskii, Tiemann and Carroll rearrangements fall into this category. Finally, there are some gas phase rearrangements which have no condensed phase analogy: for example the negative ion pinacol/pinacolone and Beckmann rearrangements. These, and related processes are discussed in this Review.