SummaryThe rates of photo-oxidation of exocyclic s-cis-butadienes grafted onto bicyclo-[2.2. llheptanes and 7-oxabicyclo[2.2. llheptanes (1-6) are dependent upon remote modifications of the bicyclic skeletons. They correlate with the rates of Diels-Alder additions of these dienes to strong dienophiles. The 2,3-dimethylidenenorbornane (l), 5,6-dimethylidene-2-norbornene (2) and 2,3-dimethylidene-7-oxanorbornane (3) gave the corresponding endo-peroxides (3,6-dihydro-1,2-dioxines) 7-9 in good yield. The 2,3,5,6-tetramethylidene-7-oxanorbornane (4) gave the mono-endo-peroxide 6, the latter did not react with a second equivalent of oxygen. Similarly, 5,6-dimethylidene-7-oxa-2-norbornene (5) was unreactive toward photo-oxidation. Thermal isomerization of the endo-peroxides 7 and 9 gave the trans-diepoxides 10 and 14, respectively, with high stereoselectivity. The endo-peroxides 6 , 7 and 9 were cleanly isomerized into the corresponding a. /?-unsaturated y-hydroxy aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of Rh, (CO)&l2.