Malonic ester synthesis

Conditions Temperature Identifiers Organic Chemistry Portal malonic-ester-synthesisRSC ontology ID RXNO:0000107

The malonic ester synthesis is a chemical reaction where diethyl malonate or another ester of malonic acid is alkylated at the carbon alpha (directly adjacent) to both carbonyl groups, and then converted to a substituted acetic acid.

A major drawback of malonic ester synthesis is that the alkylation stage can also produce dialkylated structures. This makes separation of products difficult and yields lower.