Potassium Hydroxide → 3-Ethylcyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylic acid

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Reaction Steps

A solution of 7.0 g (0.031 mole) of 3-ethyl-1,1-dicarbethoxycyclobutane (prepared in 1C) dissolved in 7 ml of absolute ethanol was prepared. To this solution there was added 6.87 g (0.123 mole) of potassium hydroxide dissolved in 76 ml of absolute ethanol and the mixture was heated to reflux with stirring for 1.5 hr. The mixture was then filtered and the filter cake was washed with 10 ml of absolute ethanol and 75 ml of ether. The resulting filter cake was dissolved in 30 ml of ice water and acidified with 36 ml of 50% aqueous sulfuric acid. The resulting mixture was cooled, filtered and dried to yield 4.5 g of the title compound having the following physical characteristics:

Provenance & Evidence