Carbene radical ions have been postulated repeatedly as intermediates in the (electro)chemical reduction or oxidation of diazo compounds and other precursors. Bethell and Parker have shown that unimolecular loss ofN2 from ionized diazo compounds does not represent a major reaction pathway in solution except in special cases,2 i.e., the radical cations of diarylcarbenes which are formed upon electrochemical oxidation of the corresponding diazo precursors.3 Such carbene species exhibit both electrophilic and radical-like reactivities, as expected for radical cations, but the kinetic experiments do not reveal whether the diaryl carbene cations (e.g., 2,+) are

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