Laser flash photolysis (308 nm, 20 ns, 150 mJ) of 4-azido-2, 3, 5, 6-tetrafluorobenzamides, esters, and thioesters generates singlet nitrenes which can be intercepted with pyridine to produce strongly absorbing ylides. It was possible to resolve the rate of formation of the ylides as a function of pyridine concentration. This has led to direct measurements of the absolute rate constants of (a) the reaction of the nitrene with pyridine,(b) ring expansion of ...