Cyclopropylmethyl anions

Cyclopropyl ketone 222 (Scheme 55) was prepared to probe the mechanism of the cleavage reaction [39,40]. Isolation of 224 where the cyclopropyl ring is intact (Scheme 56) suggests cleavage proceeds via formation of radical 227 rather than ketyl radical anion 226, formed by single-electron transfer to the ketone carbonyl, as cyclopropylmethyl radical anions are known to undergo facile fragmentation. 

A number of intermediates related to the cyclopropylmethyl radical undergo rapid ring opening. 1-Cyclopropylvinyl radicals 35 rearrange to 2-(allenyl)ethyl radicals 36, while radical anions 37, formed by one-electron reduction of cyclopropyl ketones, ring open to give enolate radicals... 

The mechanism of the reaction is not established beyond doubt," but probably involves initial one-electron transfer to the carbonyl group to form a radical anion which undergoes 6-scission in the same way as other cyclopropylmethyl radicals. 

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