(Probably unnecessary background: I came up with this carbocation while predicting the major product of $\ce{NaNO2/HCl}$ with 1-(methylamine)cyclohexan-1-ol)
Will the following carbocation rearrangement occur?
I have opinions both for and against it.
For: The ring expansion leads to octet completion of the empty p orbital of the carbocation. That stabilizes the carbocation.
Against: expansion from six member ring to seven member ring is uncommon. In school, I was taught that - for rings less than size ten - the cyclohexane ring is the most stable ("strain-free"). So, rearrangement shouldn't occur.
A Scholar search gives me no results for the proposed expansion. I know the search probably won't get me anywhere because I don't know the right keywords, and hence I'm stuck. So, can a six member ring expand to achieve octet completion to stabilize a carbocation? Also, does the expansion lead to the major product?