no Biological Chemistry. 



equivalent of sodium is dissolved in alcohol, with the for- 

 mation sodium ethoxide, C 2 H 5 ONa, and evolution of 

 hydrogen. If to the solution of sodium ethoxide thus 

 produced, one molecular equivalent of ethyl malonate is 

 added, the two substances enter into double decomposi- 

 tion 



COOC 2 H 6 COOC 2 H 8 



= CHNa + C 2 H 5 OH 



COOC 2 H 5 COOC,H 5 



The sodium derivative (which need not be isolated) 

 readily enters into reaction with alkyl iodides according 

 to the following equation : 



cooc 2 H 5 co-ocja. 



RI + CHNa =NaI + CHR 



CO-OCA COOC 2 H 5 



In this way an alkyl derivative of malonic acid is 

 produced. Such a substance can be readily purified by 

 distillation, either under ordinary pressure or in vacuo, 

 according to its complexity; the more complex the sub- 

 stance and the higher its molecular weight, the greater 

 the probability that it cannot be distilled under ordinary 

 pressure without decomposition. If the malonic ester 

 derivative is now saponified with sodium hydroxide, it 

 yields the sodium salt of corresponding substituted malonic 

 acid 



COOC 2 H 6 COONa 



+ 2NaOH = CHR +2C 2 H 6 OH 



OOC 2 H 5 COONa 



From the sodium salt the free acid can be obtained by 

 the addition of a mineral acid. The acids thus produced 



C 



