JF Thorpe2 found that the addition product from sodium enol a-cyanopropionic ester and P, P-dimethylacrylic ester gave a, P, P-trimethylglutaric acid upon complete acid hydrolysis. From this result, he concluded that the methyl, not the sodium, of the addendum migrated in the reaction. This conclusion was not proved experimentally; the same glutaric derivative would be formed if the sodium had migrated to the aA-carbon of the substituted acrylic ...
