What is the product of the thermal decarboxylation of dimethylpropanedioic acid?

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Answer 1 · 2015-12-27T00:35:29

The product is 2-methylpropanoic acid.

Decarboxylation is the loss of a molecule of carbon dioxide.

Carboxylic acids with a carbonyl group at the 3- (or β-) position readily undergo thermal decarboxylation.

Dimethylpropanedioic acid is a good example.

dimethylmalonic acid

It has a carbonyl ( $"C=O"$ ) group at $"C-3"$ , so it readily loses $"CO"_2$ .

The product that remains is 2-methylpropanoic acid.

isobutyric acid