Abstract: The gas-phase generation of phenyltrimethylsilylcarbene through the pyrolysis of phenyltrimethylsilyldiazomethane yields ditrimethylsilylstilbene (1 3%), 1, I-dimethyl-I- silabenzocyclopentene (1 5-20%), benzyltrimethqlsilane (2%), and styrene (2-5%). The major product arises through a carbene-to-carbene rearrangement. The styrene is probably formed by decomposition of the product of carbon-hydrogen insertion, l, l-dimethyl-2- ...