in 50 cc. of water until no more ammonia was evolved (ca. two days). Acidification with hydrochloric acid and evaporation to dryness gave white powders which were ground in a mortar and exhaustively extracted with dry ether. Recrystallization of the ether extracts from hot water gave mesaconic acid in both cases, m. p. 197-198°( uncor.), neutral equivalent, 65.8 (theory, 65.0). Citraconic anhydride, when subjected to the same treatment, also gave only mesaconic acid, which did not depress the melting point of the above hydrolysis products. cis-and iranj-Methyl ß-Cyanocrotonates.-By an analogous procedure, 400 g. of methyl acetoacetate yielded 371 g. (75%) of its cyanohydrin, b. p. 116-118°( 11 mm.), k"d 1.4332. Dehydration of 270 g. with 216 cc. of thienyl chloride gave the two isomers of methyl fl-cyanocrotonates:
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