The photosensitized (electron transfer) reactions of 3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (8a), 5-methyl-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (8b), cis and trans-2-methoxy-1-phenylindane (9, cis and trans), 3,3-diphenyltetrahydrofuran (10), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-methoxycyclopentane (11) have been studied using 1,4-dicyanobenzene as an electron-accepting photosensitizer and acetonitrile–methanol (3:1) as solvent. These reaction conditions cause carbon–carbon bond cleavage of analogous acyclic β,β-diphenylethyl ethers to give products derived from the diphenylmethyl radical and the α-oxycarbocation intermediates. The purpose of this study was to determine if this reaction could be applied to five-membered cyclic derivatives to give 1,5-radical cations.The primary products from 8a and 8b were the dehydrogenated, aromatized 3-phenylbenzofurans 14a and 14b. These products react further; continued irradiation gave the methanol adducts, cis and trans-2-methoxy-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (15a and 15b, cis and trans). The only observed reaction of the indanes (9, cis and trans) was cis-trans isomerization. Deuterium was incorporated at the bis-benzylic position of 8 and 9 when the irradiation was carried out in acetonitrilemethanol-O-d. These results are consistent with reversible deprotonation from the radical cations. There was no evidence for carbon–carbon bond cleavage with either 8 or 9. The relative rate, deprotonation faster than carbon–carbon bond cleavage, is explained in terms of the conformation of the bond that cleaves in relation to the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of the radical cation. Oxidation potential measurements support the conclusion that the SOMO of 8 and 9 is largely associated with the fused phenyl ring and is therefore orthogonal to the benzylic carbon–carbon bond. Irradiation of cis or trans-2-methoxy-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (15a, cis or trans), under these conditions, leads to cis–trans isomerization. The mechanism in this case involves the reversible loss of methanol. There is evidence that the addition of methanol to 14 involves the sensitizer radical anion – 14 radical cation pair.In contrast with the fused bicyclic systems, the monocyclic tetrahydrofuran 10 and the methoxycyclopentane 11 both cleave under these conditions; the products are the expected acetals 22 and 29 formed from the intermediate 1,5-radical cations. In 10 and 11 the SOMO, which is largely associated with the diphenylmethyl moiety, can overlap with the adjacent carbon–carbon bond and cleavage occurs as in analogous acyclic systems. Both 10 and 11 are relatively stable to irradiation under conditions that are identical except with acetonitrile as solvent (without methanol). We found no evidence for cyclization of the intermediates (1,5-radical cation or 1,5-diradical) into the terminal phenyl ring.