Cyclization of N‐arylcyclopropanecarboxamides into N‐arylpyrrolidin‐2‐ones under electron ionization and in the condensed phase

Abstract

Based on the experimental data and quantum chemical calculations the principal mechanism of decomposition of the molecular ions of N-arylcyclopropanecarboxamides involves their direct fragmentation without any rearrangements. An alternative mechanism is responsible for the isomerisation of a small portion of the higher energy molecular ions into the corresponding N-arylpyrrolidin-2-one ions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.