Methyl-Eliminierung aus dem metastabilen Homoadamantan-Radikalkation / Methyl Loss from Metastable Homoadamantane Cation Radical

Abstract It is demonstrated that methyl loss from ionized homoadamantane (1) yields exclusively the 1-adamantyl cation (4); there is no experimental evidence for the formation of the secondary adamantyl cation (5). From both model calculations and the investigation of [4-13C]-homoadamantane (1a) and 1(13C-methyl)adamantane (2a) it is concluded, that 24% of the metastable homoadamantane cation radicals dissociate after one isomerization (1→2); the remaining 76% are able to undergo at least a second (degenerate) isomerization cycle (2→1→2) prior to methyl loss. 78% of metastable 1-methyl-adamantane cation radical, obtained upon direct ionization of the corresponding neutral hydrocarbon, dissociate directly, whereas the loss of methyl from the remaining 22% is preceded by an isomerization 2 →1 →2.