Efficient transesterification of ethyl acetoacetate with higher alcohols without catalysts

The transesterification of ethyl acetoacetate (EtOAcac) without the use of catalysts is shown for primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols. The use of molecular sieves, which are used to shift the equilibrium, allows the synthesis of products in high yields and acceptable reaction times, which are on a par with those for transesterification processes using catalysts. The kinetics of the transesterification of EtOAcac with tert-amyl alcohol is studied.