A single example was published on the use in Reformatsky reaction of ethyl ),-bromoacetoacetate [1]; however, the esters of tz,),-dibromo-13-oxoacids were not studied in this reaction [2]. We investigated a reaction of ethyl 2,4-dibromo-2,4-dimethyl-3-oxo- pentanoate (1) with zinc and aldehydes. The initial dibromo derivative I was preliminary obtained by bromination of ethyl 2,4-dimethyl-3-isobutyryloxy- pent-2-enoate prepared along procedure [3].
