Distribution of the butenes formed as primary products at 270 and 406 "C, respectively, was 1-butene 23.5 and 33.5 %. trans-2-butene 21.5 and 26.5 %, and cis-2-butene 55 and 40 %.As in similar heterogeneous eliminations more 2-than 1butene is formed (Saytzeff rule), and the cis-isomer predominates greatly. However, the relatively large proportion of I-butene is divergent from previous results [21; it even exceeds the amount of trans-2-butene. The thermodynamically most stable butene (trans-2-butene) is thus primarily the most disfavored. The deuterated and the non-deuterated alcohol give the same primary distribution of butenes. 90 % of the deuterium present in the [2-D]-2-butanol can be detected in the butenes. The deuterium loss is distributed as follows among the three butenes: cis-2-butene 15 %; trans-2butene 8 %; I-butene 0 %. Thus I-butene arises by a pure p-elimination H~C-CDOH-C~HS + H~C=CD-C~HS + HzO Partial or-elimination (with subsequent migration of hydrogen) cannot be excluded for the 2-butenes Nitrile H3C-CDOH-CH2CH3 + H~C-CHZCH-CH~ + HDO. Activity of nitrile referred to benzonitrile = 1 (average value)

Fig. 23. "Quantasomes" from spinach chloroplasts; 880 8, diameter polystyrene latex marker molecules made up of fairly uniform oblate spheroids which we have called "quantasomes" ; this work was performed by Drs. Roderic B. Park and Ning G. Pon. Within these quantosomes the chlorophyll itself is highly organized, as we have been able to demonstrate, particularly by the electric dichroism experiments performed by Dr. Kenneth H. Sauer [23].We are now in the midst of trying to determine precisely what happens after the chiorophyll has absorbed the quantum to become an excited chlorophyll molecule, a problem that involves the physicist and physical chemist as well as organic and biochemists. The determination of the next stage in the energy conversion process is one of our immediate concerns. It is either an electron transfer process [20], and thus comes close in its further stages to the electron transfer processes which are being explored in mitochondria [24], or it is some independent nonredox method of energy conversion [21]. This remains for the future to decide.Chemical biodynamics, involving as it does the fusion of many scientific disciplines, will play a role in this problem, as it already has done in the elucidation of the carbon cycle. It can be expected to take an increasingly important place towards the understanding on a molecular level of the dynamics of living organisms. Bis [ I ,3-diphenyl-2-imidazolidinylidene] shows a considerable tendency towards dissociation into two carbenes. Reactions with this easily accessible carbene source lead to an understanding of nucleophilic carbene chemistry. The question of the existence of particularly stable carbenes is discussed, and it is suggested that a surprisingly large area of preparative possibilities and theoretical knowledge awaits development.

Das Bis-[I .3-diphenyl-irnidazolidinyliden-(2)] zeigt grope Neigung zur Dissoziation in zwei Carbene. Reak fionen rnit dieser Ieicht zuganglichen Carben-Quelle fiihrten zurn Verstrindnis der nucleophilen Carben-Chemie. Es wird untersucht, ob und wo sich besonders stabile Carbene finden, und es ergibt sich, dap ein iiberraschend gropes Feld prGparativer Moglichkeiten und theoretischer Erkenntnisse auf die Bearbeitung wartet.

No abstract

Elektronendichte herrscht. La& man (5) 24 Std. in 1 N Salzsaure stehen, so wird es zum Phenacylhydrazon (7) des Phenylglyoxals hydrolysiert. Eingegangen a m IS. November 1967 [Z 6701