Tetraacetylethane
Tetraacetylethane is the organic compound with the nominal formula 2. It is a white solid that has attracted interest as a precursor to heterocycles and metal complexes. It is prepared by oxidation of sodium acetylacetonate:
Reminiscent of the case of acetylacetone, tetraacetylethane exists as the enol, as established by X-ray crystallography. The two C3O2H rings are twisted with a dihedral angle near 90°.
Many metal complexes have been prepared from the conjugate base of this ligand. One example is diruthenium derivative 22, which is closely related to ruthenium(III) acetylacetonate.