Further examples of the loss of alkyl groups from tetrahydronaphthalenes of type (I; R= R'= alkyl; or R= alkyl and R'= ORle), when dehydrogenated with palladised charcoal and selenium, have been encountered (cf. Cocker, Cross, and McCormick, J., 1952, 72). It has been shown that the ethyl group is eliminated as ethyl hydrogen selenide when selenium is the dehydrogenating agent. Two examples of the loss of methyl are described.
