Experiment - Claisen Condensation
Reactions:
In this experiment, we performed a Claisen condensation reaction
of ethyl phenylacetate using potassium tert-butoxide to form ethyl
3-oxo-2,4-diphenylbutanoate and ethanol without using a solvent.
This allowed us to reduce waste, have reagents that have a
relatively low toxicity level, and made the reaction much more
convenient.
Question 2: If this reaction were run in a
solution (as opposed to solvent-free) it would require several
hours of refluxing and provide a much smaller yield. Why...