Diethyl Malonate → 1,3-Dihydroindene-2,2-dicarboxylic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

Sodium (3.7 g) was dissolved in 80 ml of ethyl alcohol, followed by the addition of 150 ml of diethyl ether. Diethyl malonate (12.5 ml) was added followed by 20 g of α,α'-dibromo-o-xylene in 150 ml of diethyl ether with overhead stirring. The reaction was heated to reflux for 5 hours. The reaction was cooled, filtered, and the solvent was removed under vacuum. The residue was treated with a potassium hydroxide solution (20 g in 125 ml of water) and heated to reflux for 15 hours. The reaction was then cooled and rinsed with 200 ml of diethyl ether. The aqueous phase was acidified with 30% hydrochloric acid. The precipitate was collected and dried under vacuum over Drieruite for 5 hours to yield 8.86 g of indan-2,2-dicarboxylic acid.

Provenance & Evidence