2-Oxobutanoic Acid → ethyl acetoacetate, sodium salt

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Reaction Steps

To a solution of 2-oxobutanoic acid (6.0 g, 58.8 mmol) in EtOH (100 mL) was added sulfuric acid (1 mL) at room temperature. The resulting mixture was stirred for 4 h under reflux. The solvent was removed, and the residue was diluted with water (50 mL) and the pH was adjusted to 7 with a solution of NaOH (1 N). The mixture was extracted with EtOAc (100 mL×3). The combined organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated to give ethyl 2-oxobutanoate (7.5 g, 98% yield). ESI MS: m/z 131 [M+H]+.

Provenance & Evidence