CLEMMENSEN REDUCTION AND NITRIC ACID OXIDATION OF SOME ALDIMETHONES

Abstract

Clemmensen  reduction  of  aldimethones  (formal-,  acetal-,  n-butyral-,  and  benzal-dimethones)  have  yielded  the  correspondingly  9-substituted  tetramethyloctahydroxanthenes.  In  the  case  of  crotonaldimethone,  saturation  of  the  exocyclic  double  bond  also  occurred  during  this  reduction  and  the  product  obtained  was  the  same  as  the  one  from  n-butyral-dimethone.

Nitric  acid  oxidation  of  formal- and  acetal-dimethones  yielded  Beta-Beta-dimethylglutaric  acid  while  oxidation  of  benzaldimethone  yielded  a  mixture  of  Beta-Beta-dimethylglutaric  acid  and  nitrobenzoic  acids.