Homolytic aziridine opening (aza variant of cyclopropylcarbinyl-homoallyl rearrangement) by addition of tributyltin radical to N-acylaziridines. Factors contributing to the regioselectivity
fell drastically with steric hindrance of the addition of Bu3Sn. to the acyl oxygen of 1. They depended to some extent on the experimental conditions for hydrogen capturing when aziridine homolysis provided a primary radical 3 or 6. The regioselectivity of (probably reversible) ring homolysis can be understood in terms of the stability of the arising radical (3, 6), of stereoelectronic control (e.g. 1i