The tricyclo[5.3.1.1 3,9 ]dodeca-3,7-diyl dication (6) was prepared in situ and characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. Reaction of this dication with isopentane, NaBH 4 or H 2 , in an attempt to prepare the m-H cation 7, did result in hydride transfer, but to the 'outside' face of the dication, leading to the conventional monocation 8, or rearrangement products of this. This monocation was independently prepared, and is thermally less stable than the dication, rearranging to the 2-ethyl-2-adamantyl cation (19) at À60°C, DG ‡ = 16.0 AE 0.6 kcal mol À1 . The 2methyltricyclo[4.3.1.1 3,7 ]undec-2-yl cation (20), a likely intermediate in this rearrangement, was also independently prepared and shown to rearrange to 19, DG ‡ = 14.4 AE 0.3 kcal mol À1 , consistent with a stepwise rearrangement process for 8→[20]→19. The structures of dication 6 and monocation 8 were investigated by high-level ab initio calculations, and modeling studies were carried out to look at the factors that allow dications such as 6 to even be prepared.