Hexane → Cyclopentylidenecyclopentan-2-one

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a stirring solution of cyclopentanone (336.5 g, 4.0 moles) in absolute ethanol (500 mL) at room temperature was added KOH (5.6 g, 0.1 mole) in one portion. The reaction was stirred at room temperature for 65 hours. The reaction was determined to be completed by TLC and GC analyses. Hexane was added to the reaction mixture and the layers were separated. The organic layer was washed successively with 10% HCl (aqueous), saturated NaHCO3 (aqueous) and brine. The resulting organic layer was dried with MgSO4, filtered, and concentrated. The brown oil was distilled under vacuum to give 2-cyclopentylidenecyclopentan-1-one (155 g, 52% yield). The structural formula of 2-cyclopentylidenecyclopentan-1-one is shown in FIG. 1.

Provenance & Evidence