PURPOSE: To prepare the title compound useful as a raw material of various chemical syntheses, in high purity and yield, and at a low cost, by reacting propionaldehyde with malonic acid in the presence of a specific N,N-dialkylbenzylamine.
CONSTITUTION: The title compound is prepared by reacting (A) 1mol of malonic acid with (B) ≥1mol, pref. about 1.2 mol of propionaldehyde, in the presence of (C) ≥1mol, pref. just 1mol of an N,N-dialkylbenzylamine of formula (R is lower alkyl; X is H or halogen), pref. p-chloro-N,N-diethylbenzylamine. The reaction is carried out by, (pref. after keeping the reaction system at room temperature for several hours), raising the temperature slowly to about 100°C in 2W4hrs. The N,N-dialkylbenzylamine can be recovered and reused.
HIGUCHI YASUSHI
YAZAWA CHIHIRO
