Potassium Hydroxide → 2-Benzyl-malonic acid monoethyl ester

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Reaction Steps

To a solution of 2-benzylmalonic acid diethyl ester 2.5 g (10 mmol) in EtOH (10 mL) was added 1N KOH in EtOH (8.5 mL). The solution was stirred for 1 h at room temperature. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure, and the resulting liquid dissolved in 5% NaHCO3 (30 mL), washed with EtOAc (3×10 mL), and back extracted with 5% NaHCO3 (50 mL). The combined NaHCO3 solutions were acidified to pH=3 with 1N HCl and extracted with EtOAc. The organic layer was washed with H2O, dried with Na2SO4. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure to give final product as oil, 1.4 g (74%).

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