A kinetic study on the base-catalyzed acyl group-exchange reactions of N,O-diacyl-o-aminophenols was undertaken to show that the formation of the amidate ion should be the rate-determining step in these intramolecular acyl-exchange reactions, and that the electron-withdrawing power of acyl group becomes an important factor to control the relative stabilities of a pair of N,O-diacyl-o-aminophenols.
The photochemical decomposition of the title compounds yielded the rearrangement products derived from 1,3- and 1,5-aroyloxyl migrations in addition to the fragmentation products typical of the aroyloxyl and amido radicals, while only 1,3-aroyloxyl migration was observed on thermolysis. The results of crossover experiments indicate an intramolecular rearrangement, probably involving homolysis of the