[PenKnight]

Hi all

I was wondering what the methyl hydroxide is doing in this reaction. The compound below the arrow. (See attached file)

[macman104]

It's usually the solvent pair system.  Where you have the alkoxide and the corresponding alcohol together.  In this case, since you have a methyl ester, you use the corresponding methyl alcohol and the methyl alkoxide.

You generate the alkoxide by adding solid sodium to the methanol, so it is a system of CH3ONa and CH3OH

[PenKnight]

Ahh thanks for that. How could I forget such a thing.