The Favorskii rearrangement has been the subject of intensive research by many organic chemists since its discovery in 1894 (1). But despite its age, the reaction remains novel. Its mechanism and stereochemistry are currently being studied. It is becoming an increasingly reliable instrument of organic synthesis. A number of earlier summaries on the Favorskii rearrangement are available (2-6). The purpose of this article is to review the more current literature on the application of this rearrangement to bridged polycyclic compounds where it has been used in the synthesis and study of strained moleketone (XV) and derivatives with substituents at C-2 such as (XVI) and (XVII) undergo ring contraction (30-33). Mc-
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