ACETO ACETIC ESTER 37 



be used, a substance is produced which answers either to the formula 



( CH 2 -CH 2 

 C I7 H I6 O 5 , which would be C 6 H 3 ] OH | 



(OH ' Q 



roH , 



C 6 H 3 ] OH 



( CH = CH, or to the formula C 3I H 30 

 ( CH 2 - CH - CH 2 ) 



O 9 , which is C 6 H 3 \ OH OH \ C 6 H 3 



(.OH I OH ) 



(OH V OH -) 



C 6 HJOH OH 



( CH 2 - CH - CH 2 



CERESOLE, M., 1882. 



Ber. 15, 1871-1878 ; J. Chem. Soc. 44 41 ; Jsb. Chem. 1882, 860 ; Bull. 



Soc. chim. 39, 35- 



Acetoacetic Acids. 



Acetoacetic acid, methyl-, dimethyl- and benzyl-acetoacetic acids 

 were prepared by treating their esters with an alkali in the col'd, proving 

 this to be an intermediate action in the ordinary saponification of these 

 esters. The ease with which these compounds decompose, as they do 

 below 100, is attributed to the position of the carbonyl and carboxyl 

 groups separated by only one methylene or alkyl substituted methylene 

 group. 



CONRAD, M., 1882. 



Ber. 15. 2133-2134 ; J. Chem. Soc. 44, 177 ; Jsb. Chem. 1882, 845. 

 Halogen Substituted Acetoacetic Esters. 



The author admits that his formerly described dibrom-acetoacetic 

 dibromid* is probably only Duisberg's tetrabrom-acetoacetic ester, f 



* See page n. 

 t See page 34. 



