BY KICHOLAS MESSINA AND ELLIS 1'. BROWN During the course of our investigation of the Friedel-Crafts reaction in the thiophene series,'it became necessary to prepare 6, 6- dimethylheptanedione-2, 5 by the hydrolysis and decarboxylation of ethyl a- pinacolonylacetoacetate. The hydrolysis of this substituted ethyl acetoacetate gave some unexpected results when the hydrolyzing agent was boiling 20% potassium carbonate ...
