The 2-oxo-3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclopentanecarboxylic acid ketoenol system in aqueous solution Generation of the enol by flash photolytic Wolff rearrangement of 2-diazo-4,4,6,6-tetramethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione followed by hydration of the acylketene thus formed

Flash photolysis of 2-diazo-4,4,6,6-tetramethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione in aqueous solution produced 2-oxo-3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclopentylideneketene, which underwent hydration to the enol of 2-oxo-3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclo pentanecarboxylic acid; the enol then isomerized to the keto form of the acid. Rates of hydration of the ketene and rates of ketonization of the enol were measured in perchloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and buffer solutions, and rate profiles were constructed. Rates of enolization of 2-oxo-3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclopentanecarboyxlic acid were also measured, using bromine to scavenge the enol as it formed, and rates of enolization and ketonization were then combined to give the keto–enol equilibrium constant pKE = 1.65. This and other results are discussed in comparison with the behavior of the unmethylated 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylic acid system.Key words: flash photolysis, photo-Wolff reaction, ketene hydration, enolization, ketonization, keto–enol equilibria, β-oxocarboxylic acids.