In an earlier communication'it was shown that the Cannizzaro reaction of benzaldehyde in a homogeneous system does not involve a chain reaction of the kind which is usually greatly influenced by the presence of peroxides or peroxide inhibitors. There are, then, two ionic mechanisms based upon the transfer of a hydrogen atom with its pair of electrons (ie, a hydride ion), which are in accord with much of the data. In one of the mechanisms which ...
