(2) Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey.(3) FW Bollinger, FN Hayes and S. Siegel, THIS JOURNAL,'72, 5592 (1950). by methanol or water (formed in the reaction) and (2) a displacement of. cyclopentyldiazo€ ate ion by methoxide or hydroxide ion. The five- membered carbon ring skeleton does not undergo contraction in this decomposition. This is in agreement with the work of Hiickel, et al., 4 who on diazotization of cyclopentylamine in ...