Molecular rearrangements. Part XVI. Thermolysis and photolysis of N-benzyldiphenylamine and N-phenylacetyldiphenylamine

Heating N-phenylacetyldiphenylamine in a sealed tube at 360 °C gave rise to carbon monoxide, bibenzyl, toluene, stilbene, diphenylmethane, aniline, carbazole, N-benzylcarbazole, acridine, 9-phenylacridine, 4-aminotriphenylmethane, diphenylamine, p-benzyldiphenylamine, and o-aminodiphenylmethane. A similar result was also obtained on heating N-benzyldiphenylamine, with the exception of carbon monoxide. Such results in addition to those obtained from photolysis of N-phenylacetyldiphenylamine are interpreted in terms of a free-radical mechanism.