“…Drying and concentration gave a golden yellow liquid which was distilled to separate 8.770 g (58%) of ketone 2 as a water-white liquid: bp 54.5-55 °C (5.2 mm); IR (neat) 1740 (C=0), 2970, 2880,1460,1380,967 cm"1; NMR (90 MHz, CC14) 0.97 (d, J = 7 Hz, 3 H, CH3CHC=0), 1.10 (s, 3 H, CH3), 1.19 (s, 3 H, CH3), 1.2-2.0 (m, 7 H, aliphatic CH, including a partially overlapped quartet at 1.83, J = 7 Hz, due to CHC=0); MS m/e (rel intensity) 152 (M+, 17), 137 (M -CH3, 3), 123 (1), 109 (14), 95 (100), 94 (34), 82 (18), 81 (23). 69 (21), 67 (26), 55 (16). 53 Attempted Epimerization of 2 and Formation of 2-d A solution of NaOMe, prepared from 23 mg (1.0 mmol) of Na, and 761 mg (5.0 mmol) of 2 in 25 mL of MeOH, was stirred at room temperature under N2.…”