Subject alkyl phenyl ethers

The corrinoid-mediated reduction of polyhaloethenes has been the subject of a recent study, which reports reaction via homolytic C-halogen bond fission. The elimination of a further halogen radical affords haloalkynes, which lead to acetylene itself.56 The electron transfer-induced reductive cleavage of alkyl phenyl ethers with lithium naphthalenide has been re-examined in a study which showed that it is possible to reverse regioselectivity of the cleavage (i.e. ArOR to ArH or ArOH) by introduction of a positive charge adjacent to the alkyl ether bond.57 A radical intermediate has been detected by ESR spectroscopy in the reduction of imines to amines with formic acid58 which infers reacts takes place via Lukasiewicz s mechanism.59... 

Thus the alkyl ester end groups of convergently grown poly(benzyl ether) dendrimers can be subjected to post-synthetic modification by hydrolysis [28], reduction [29], transesterification/amidation [28] in a variety of ways. Subsequent modification of poly(benzyl ether) dendrons bearing p-bromobenzyl end groups by palladium-catalysed coupling reactions permitted preparation of dendrons with phenyl, pyridinyl, or thiophenyl end groups [30]. 

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