Mesaconic acid, reduction

Methylsuccinic acid has been prepared by the pyrolysis of tartaric acid from 1,2-dibromopropane or allyl halides by the action of potassium cyanide followed by hydrolysis by reduction of itaconic, citraconic, and mesaconic acids by hydrolysis of ketovalerolactonecarboxylic acid by decarboxylation of 1,1,2-propane tricarboxylic acid by oxidation of /3-methylcyclo-hexanone by fusion of gamboge with alkali by hydrog. nation and condensation of sodium lactate over nickel oxide from acetoacetic ester by successive alkylation with a methyl halide and a monohaloacetic ester by hydrolysis of oi-methyl-o -oxalosuccinic ester or a-methyl-a -acetosuccinic ester by action of hot, concentrated potassium hydroxide upon methyl-succinaldehyde dioxime from the ammonium salt of a-methyl-butyric acid by oxidation with. hydrogen peroxide from /9-methyllevulinic acid by oxidation with dilute nitric acid or hypobromite from /J-methyladipic acid and from the decomposition products of glyceric acid and pyruvic acid. The method described above is a modification of that of Higginbotham and Lapworth. ... 

Reduction of 25 mmole of mesaconic acid gave a mixture (2.8 g) of saturated acid (50%) and starting material (50%). The optical rotation was measured on the crude product. 

Nonaka, T., Abe, S. and Fuchigami, T. (1983) Part 2. Electrochemical asymmetric reduction of citraconic and mesaconic acids on optically-ac-tive polyamino acid-coated electrodes. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn, 56, 2778-2783. 

---