Oxidation of ethano-Troeger bases (I) and (III) with DDQ in wet nitromethane results in a highly enantiospecific methylene extrusion to afford ring contracted products (II) and (IV) which are significantly more configurationally stable than regular Troeger bases.

A novel CH₂-extrusion reaction leading to the transformation of ethano-Tröger bases into disubstituted methano derivatives is reported (yields up to 93 %). Under mild and metal-free oxidative conditions, a loss of CH₂ and a ring contraction are provoked. Despite two bond cleavages at stereogenic nitrogen and carbon centers and a temporary rupture of the bicyclic structure, a very high enantiospecificity (es≥98 %) is observed for this unusual reaction.