Stereoselective Stobbe Condensation of Ethyl Methyl Diphenylmethylenesuccinate with Aromatic Aldehydes

The E configuration of benzylidene(diphenylmethylene)succinic anhydride (R = H), obtained by the Stobbe condensation of ethyl methyl
diphenylmethylenesuccinate with benzaldehyde, was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Noncovalent π stacking interaction between
two stacked phenyl groups is suggested as a stabilizing energy for the highly crowded molecule. The nature and the position of substituents
(R) on the aromatic rings of substituted benzaldehydes showed no effect on the E stereoselectivity in the condensation.