Question

The Knoevenagel reaction is a carbonyl condensation reaction of an ester with an aldehyde or ketone to yield an α,β-unsaturated product. Show the mechanism for the Knoevenagel reaction of diethyl malonate with benzaldehyde.

Short answer

Benzaldehyde reacts with diethyl malonate to produce cinnamic acid.

Step-by-step solution

Reaction

The Knoevenagal reaction is a carbonyl condensation reaction of an ester with an aldehyde or ketone to yield α,β-unsaturated product.

The given reaction is,

Mechanism

The mechanism for the above process is as follows,