Being a diester, diethyl succinate is a particularly versatile building block. It participates in
acyloin condensation to give 2-hydroxycyclobutanone. Via condensation with oxalate esters, it serves as a precursor to
ketoglutaric acid. It is a reagent in the
Stobbe condensation. , a useful precursor to dyes and pigments, is produced by base-induced condensation of diethyl succinate. == References ==