Comment on “Single-Crystal X-ray Structure of 1,3-Dimethylcyclobutadiene by Confinement in a Crystalline Matrix”

Abstract

Legrand et al . (Reports, 16 July 2010, p. 299) reported on the photolytic reaction of an α-pyrone confined in a crystalline matrix. Their structural analysis invoked four products: activated precursor, isomeric Dewar β-lactone, and square and rectangular isomers of 1,3-dimethylcyclobutadiene. The reported x-ray data, however, suggest that all observed structures correspond to only one distinct species, the Dewar β-lactone.