Origin of the preference for the chair conformation in the cope rearrangement. Effect of phenyl substituents on the chair and boat transition states

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00033a042

d, l- and meso-2,2′-bis[1-methylene-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalenes] 8 and 9 were synthesized, and the activation energy parameters for their unimolecular [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement to 1,2-bis(3,4-dihydro-1-naphthalenyl)ethane (13) were determined. Th