The title transformation, particularly the conversion of anthranils into acridones, is shown to be critically sensitive to temperature, solvent, substituent, and metal catalysts. Thus the conversion of 3-(p-tolyl) anthranil into an acridone gives a ratio of 2and 3-methyl derivatives varying from 0.6 : 1 to 4.7 : 1 with changing temperature and solvent. In other similar thermolyses, solvents (e.g. 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene) were incorporated into the product and traces of metals and their derivatives had a dramatic effect on the rate and course of the reaction. The most effective catalysts were iron powder and aluminium acetylacetonate. 3-(2,6-Disubstituted pheny1)anthranils gave acridones in which the substituents were either lost or rearranged onto N or C, the last cases involving sequential [I ,5] -sigmatropic shifts.3-Thienylanthranils gave related thienoquinolones on thermolysis ; again the reactions were very sensitive to catalysis. Blocked thienylanthranils also gave rearrangement products, but the non-aromatic intermediates could be isolated.5 "C and mixed m.p.s are only slightly depressed thus accounting for Bamberger's erroneous interpretation,