Thermolyses of O-phenyl oxime ethers were shown recently to release simple dialkyl- and diaryl-iminyl radicals. 14 Furthermore, the N–O bond dissociation enthalpies [BDE (R 2 C N–OPh) = 140 kJ mol –1 for R = Me or Ph] were found to actually be lower than the O–O BDEs of dialkyl peroxides (159–167 kJ mol –1 ). 14 However, it proved difficult to develop conventional sealed tube type thermolyses of O-phenyl oxime ethers for preparative work; reaction ...
