Structure of a hexasubstituted 1,3-dioxane compound derived from Meldrum's acid: C4O4(CH3)2(CH2CO2C2H5)2

The species C 4 O 4 (CH 3 ) 2 (CH 2 CO 2 C 2 H 5 ) 2 (diethyl 2,2-dimethyl-4,6-dioxo-1,3-dioxane-5,5-diacetate) was synthesized from Meldrum's acid and ethyl bromoacetate and subjected to an X-ray diffraction study. The molecule has approximate C 2v symmetry. The 1,3-dioxane system is essentially planar and has neither the boat nor the chair conformation typical of saturated six-membered 1,3-dioxane rings