Question

In the synthesis of dimethylmaleate, answer the following question:

How would you propose to characterize product of this reaction? For example: What differences in IR/NMR spectra would you see between starting material (maleic anhydride) and obtained product?

SYNTHESIS OF DIMETHYLMALEATE A Chem Ed TESTED DEMONSTRATION Rewritten from: Oliver Grummill, THIS JOURNAL, 18, 447 (1941) by F. B. Dutton Checked by: Vance Hamilton, East Lansing High School, Michigan and then once more with water. It is dried over Drierite or anhydrous magnesium sulfate and distilled. Collect the fraction boiling at 200-207°. Yield, 50 g, 70% of the theoretical. PREPARATION 58 g 0.5 mol) of maleic anhydride, 160 g (200 ml, 5.0 mols) of methyl alcohol, and 4-5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid are refluxed on a steam bath for 4-5 hours. The condenser is then set for distillation and the excess water and alcohol are distilled off. The residue is washed with two 20-ml portions of water, two 20-ml portions of 5% sodium bicarbonate solution, DEMONSTRATION See cis-trans isomerization item above.