Reactions of carbonyl compounds in basic solutions. Part 36: The base-catalysed reactions of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds

1,2-Dicarbonyl compounds can undergo base-catalysed reactions in three ways : rearrangement of the benzil-benzilic acid type, fission of the carbon-car bonyl carbon bond and fission of the carbonyl carbon-carbonyl carbon bond. The requirements for the observation of the variant reaction types are disc ussed both for open-chain and for ring systems in terms of electronic and s tereochemical factors. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.