Ethyl benzoate, mixed Claisen condensation reaction

Ethyl benzoate, mixed Claisen condensation reaction of, 890-891... 

The mixed Claisen condensation of two different esters is similar to the mixed aldol condensation of two different aldehydes or ketones (Section 23.5). Mixed Claisen reactions are successful only when one of the two ester components has no a hydrogens and thus can t form an enolate ion. For example, ethyl benzoate and ethyl formate can t form enolate ions and thus can t serve as donors. They can, however, act as the electrophilic acceptor components in reactions with other ester anions to give mixed /3-keto ester products. 

The Claisen reaction is a carbonyl condensation that occurs between two ester components and gives a /3-keto ester product. Mixed Claisen condensations between two different esters are successful only when one of the two partners has no acidic a hydrogens (ethyl benzoate and ethyl formate, for instance) and thus can function only as the acceptor partner. Intramolecular Claisen condensations, called Dieckmann cyclization reactions, provide excellent syntheses of five- and six-membered cyclic /3-keto esters starting from 1,6- and 1,7-diesters. 

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