Ethyl (2-phenylpropan-2-yl) malonate

Ethyl malonyl chloride (234mg, 1.56mmole) was added in one go to a stirred solution of cumyl acohol (227mg, 1.67mmole) and N,N-dimethylaniline (164mg, 1.36mmole) in diethyl ether (2ml). The reaction was exothermic and the mixture went cloudy. After stirring at room temperature over the weekend, the supernatant of the reaction was applied to a column of silica gel and the product eluted with hexane : ethyl acetate (5 : 1) as a sweet-smelling, colourless oil (248mg).