α-Metalated isocyanides owe their importance to their ambivalent character and to their being synthetic equivalents of α-metalated priamary amines.

Phosphacumulene ylides are phosphorus ylides and at the same time cumulenes; characteristically they form a variety of adducts at the polar ylide bond and at the CC double bond. Phosphaallene ylides contain the allene double bond system.

Thermolabile products can be prepared, even on a preparative scale, by flash thermolysis. This is impossible with conventional pyrolysis techniques.

The ever-increasing demand for inexpensive photocopies stimulated development of a new technology based on electrostatic imaging. How does xerography work, and what other electrophotographic processes exist? These are questions having many chemical implications.

The isomeric intramolecular quinhydrones (1) and (2), which have now been prepared, have surprisingly similar electronic spectra. Indirect transmission of donor-acceptor interactions might predominate in these systems.

Studies on the transmission of donor-acceptor interactions are facilitated by the quinhydrone (1) and some of its derivatives which have now been synthesized as model compounds. These compounds have less pronounced CT bands than quinhydrones of the naphthalenophane series.

Heteroatoms located in suitably fixed terminal groups of polyether chains can act as donors in neutral ligands. For instance, (1) forms crystalline complexes with KSCN and RbI which have a helical structure in solution.

On iodination of the hydrodecaborate ion the equatorial and the axial positions are attacked roughly in a statistical ratio. Further substitution proceeds so as to avoid occupation of adjacent sites.

A facile entry to strained ring systems is provided by synthesis of the silicon compound (1), which after conversion into the 4-bromo 3-iodo derivative is transformed into 1,2-dihydrocyclobuta[c]benzyne (2). Compound (2) can be trapped as the adduct (3) with furan.

Double bonds and/or three-membered rings separated from 1,2-dicarbonyl systems by two σ-bonds have a surprisingly strong effect on the interaction between the nonbonding orbitals of the C₂O₂ moiety of molecules such as (1)–(5).

Carbyne complexes (1) and (2) contain an electron-withdrawing hetero atom. X-Ray structure analysis of (2) shows that the triphenylsilyl substituent does not affect the W---C_carbyne bond length.

The first four-membered PC ring system having partly endocyclic double bonds is present in the dication (1). Its dichloride is a stable salt (m.p. 385°C) which does not decompose in boiling water and does not display ylide reactions.

No-bond resonance is a remarkable property of 1,6,6aλ⁴-trithiapentalenes. How do the related compounds (1), X, YO, S, NPh behave? They are now readily accessible from (2) and the aroyl derivatives ArCXCl and ArCYCl.

The first β-phosphatrimethinecyanine dye has now been prepared as the tetrafluoroborate from a methyleneindoline derivative. The compound forms dark blue crystals.

Enantiomeric diaziridines of type (1) are of interest because of their chiroptical properties and because their racemization must proceed by consecutive nitrogen inversion via two mutually enantiomeric transition states. The resolution of (±)-(1) has now been accomplished.

Eight-membered rings of type (2) with trans-configurated double bonds are accessible from (1) by thermal valence isomerization. (2a) and (2b) were trapped with furan. (2c) could be isolated.

AP---N eight-membered ring in the ideal crown form is present in permethylated cyclo(λ³-phosphazane), which is surprisingly formed from MePCl₂ and (Me₃Si)₂NMe. The P-ethyl derivative also contains an eight-membered ring.

Estimates of the antiaromatic character of a cyclobutadiene from reversible potentials have now been accomplished for the first time for (1). (1) is a component of one of the few π-systems that can exist in five oxidation states connected by four reversible one-electron transfers.

For the still unknown species dodecahedrane (1) force field calculations confirm the intuitive assumption of maximum possible symmetry (I_h) for the energetically optimal molecular geometry. The I_h structure should be largely rigid (lowest vibrational frequency 395 cm^-1).

New sandwich-type dinuclear complexes containing the LMML moiety have now been prepared from mononuclear complexes. Triisopropylphosphane is a particularly suitable ligand L.

Preparative electrolysis of dienes (1) at a graphite electrode in the presence of 1,3-dimethylurea in CH₃CN/NaClO₄ leads in good yields to imidazolidin-2-ones.

Regiospecific introduction of a double bond into ketones has now been achieved under such mild conditions that no racemization occurs at the adjacent chiral center.

The relief of strain in the molecule is responsible for the order in which the bonds of the cubane skeleton are broken on hydrogenation. Cubane (RH) and derivatives with RCO₂Me, R′H and RH, R′CO₂Me have been investigated.

The structure of the polymerizable diacetylene (1) has been elucidated by recording its X-ray data at 120K. (1) polymerizes to macroscopic crystals of type (2) whose structure was recently solved. Thus the coordinates of each atom are known before and after the reaction.

An unexpected reaction of methylenebisphosphonium salts such as (1) is their rearrangement to “carbodiphosphoranes” (2) on deprotonation. The bisphosphorane (3) is not formed.

Thiocarbonyl olefination is a fitting description of the reaction sketched out below. The corresponding thiolactam is always formed as a side product by carbonyl olefination.