A NOVEL ETHYNYLATION OF α-SUBSTITUTED MESITYL OXIDES

Abstract
The ethynylation of ketone (2) in liquid ammonia at −33°C with stoichiometric sodium acetylide afforded the corresponding alcohol (3 and 4). Similar treatment of 1 resulted in only a little isomerization to 2. Favorskii ethynylation under pressure at 0°C yielded a mixture of 1, 2, 3 and 4 without any detectable 5, whichever ketone 1 or 2 being used.