The cleavage by hydrogen of oxygen to carbon and of carbon to carbon linkages in &keto esters and 1, 3-diketones has been observed in a number of cases. l Since it was known that 1, 3-glycols were cleaved under the same conditions, it was assumed in earlier papers from this Laboratory that the carbonyls were first reduced to carbinols and that the cleavage then ensued. In beginning a systematic study of the relationship of structure to the rate and ...
