Eschenmoser Salt

The dimethylaminomethylene cation is a strong dimethylaminomethylating agent, used to prepare derivatives of the type RCH2N(CH3)2.[1][2] Enolates, silyl enol ethers, and even more acidic ketones undergo efficient dimethylaminomethylation. Once prepared, such tertiary amines can be further methylated and then subjected to base-induced elimination to afford methylidenated ketones. The salt was first prepared by the group of Albert Eschenmoser[3] after whom the reagent is named.