Abstract
Based on some of our previous findings on the activity of some metal ions in certain organic reactivities,1 we have now studied the Knoevenagel condensations of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes or their tosylhydrazone derivatives with 2,4-pentanedione. In the presence of catalytic amounts of anhydrous copper (II) chloride, these compounds react in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature, affording the corresponding alkylidene or arylidene compounds in 48–98% yields.