Trapping of a cycloheptatetraene in the reaction of atomic carbon with phenol

Reaction of atomic carbon with phenol generates tropone in a reaction postulated to proceed via the hydroxycycloheptatetraenes, which rearrange to tropone. When the hydroxyphenylcarbenes are generated by the C atom deoxygenation of the corresponding aldehydes, the meta and para isomers produce tropone; the ortho isomer does not.