Lithium dialkylamide induced 1, 4elimination is shown to be a general reaction of methyl o- methylbenzyl ethers, giving o-xylylenes as reactive intermediates. The fate of the intermediate depends on a variety of factors including the base used, the dienophile employed as solvent, or the presence of a suitably located double bond in the substrate. With lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), a significant reaction forms the amine derived from 1, ...