(a) Explain why the following equilibrium lies far to the right.

(b) Chemists had always assumed that this reaction would be so fast that compound A could never be isolated. However, this compound was prepared in 1962 and shown to be stable in the gas phase at 70°C, despite the favorable equilibrium constant for its transformation to B. Show why the conversion of A into B above would not be expected to occur as a concerted reaction.

(c) Would you expect a concerted mechanism for the following reaction to be equally slow? Why?

Transcribed Image Text:

A CH 2 CH3 toluene (B)