SummaryThe addition of water, acetic acid, and hydrogen bromide to the strained bridgehead olefins bicyclo[3.3.1]-1(2)-nonene (l), bicyclo[4.2. I]-l(8)-nonene (2), and bicyclo[4.2.1]-1(2)-nonene (3) gives exclusively the bridgehead alcohols, acetates, and bromides, respectively. The reaction rate constants for the addition of acetic acid to the bridgehead olefins 1, 2 and 3, and the solvolysis rates for the related I-bromobicyclo[3.3.l]nonane (4) and 1-bromobicyclo[4.2. llnonane (5) were measured. A comparison of the activation enthalpies of these two reactions gives an estimate of relative strain of the bridgehead double bond. The strain in the bicyclo[4.2. llnonenes 2 and 3 is similar to that in trans-cyclooctene (8-9 kcal/mol).Introduction. -The strain inherent in the double bond of bridgehead olefins such as the bicyclononenes 1, 2 and 3 [I] should lead to an enhanced reactivity in addition reactions compared to other, unstrained trisubstituted olefins. Indeed, as shown by Wiseman [2] and Marshall [3], bicyclo[3.3.l]-1(2)-nonene (1) reacts extremely fast with electrophilic reagents, e.g. acetic acid, water or alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst, bromine, osmium tetroxide, peracid, and diborane. A reaction was also observed with the nucleophilic reagents methyllithium and phenyllithium, with the dipolarophile diazomethane, and with some dienes yielding Diels-Alder adducts.