Abstract As part of our study on the commentitive Diackmann eyeliration of triestars 1the reaction of trimethyl 1, 3, 6-hexanetricarboxylate (la) with potassium t-butoxide in toluene at 0° was investigated. The only materials obtained from this reaction were the cyclopentanone diestar, zb, and the estar acid, 2a. None of the cycloheptanone, 3a, was observed. It was reasoned that if a nethyl group were placed in the 6 position of the triester as in lb the only ...
