Abstract Evidence for a radical mechanism in the thermal decomposition of a 7- silanorbornadiene is presented. It is demonstrated that 2-car☐ y-7-silanorbornadienes undergo a formal 1, 5-migration of silicon to formO-silyl enol ethers. An earlier suggested rearrangement of a 7-silanorbornadiene to a silepin or silanorcaradiene is excluded. A recent report of thermal and photochemical epimerization of 7-silanorbornadienes is ...
