Zhu, You-Quan et al. published their research in Molecules in 2005 | CAS: 33166-79-9

Ethyl 3-oxo-3-(m-tolyl)propanoate (cas: 33166-79-9) belongs to esters. Esters are widespread in nature and are widely used in industry. In nature, fats are in general triesters derived from glycerol and fatty acids. Esters are responsible for the aroma of many fruits, including apples, durians, pears, bananas, pineapples, and strawberries. Many esters have the potential for conformational isomerism, but they tend to adopt an s-cis (or Z) conformation rather than the s-trans (or E) alternative, due to a combination of hyperconjugation and dipole minimization effects. The preference for the Z conformation is influenced by the nature of the substituents and solvent, if present. Lactones with small rings are restricted to the s-trans (i.e. E) conformation due to their cyclic structure.Product Details of 33166-79-9

The synthesis and herbicidal activity of 1-alkyl-3-(α-hydroxybenzylidene)pyrrolidine-2,4-diones was written by Zhu, You-Quan;Yao, Chang-Sheng;Zou, Xiao-Mao;Hu, Fang-Zhong;Liu, Bin;Li, Yong-Hong;Yang, Hua-Zheng. And the article was included in Molecules in 2005.Product Details of 33166-79-9 This article mentions the following:

Title compounds I (R1 = 3-NO2, 4-NO2, 2-Me, 3-Me, 4-Me, 2-MeO, 4-MeO, 2-Cl, 4-Cl; R2 = Me, CHMe2, CMe3) were prepared by cyclocondensation of R1C6H4COCH2COOEt with R2NHCH2COOEt. Preliminary bioassay results indicated that some of products have high herbicidal activity against annual dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants. In the experiment, the researchers used many compounds, for example, Ethyl 3-oxo-3-(m-tolyl)propanoate (cas: 33166-79-9Product Details of 33166-79-9).

Ethyl 3-oxo-3-(m-tolyl)propanoate (cas: 33166-79-9) belongs to esters. Esters are widespread in nature and are widely used in industry. In nature, fats are in general triesters derived from glycerol and fatty acids. Esters are responsible for the aroma of many fruits, including apples, durians, pears, bananas, pineapples, and strawberries. Many esters have the potential for conformational isomerism, but they tend to adopt an s-cis (or Z) conformation rather than the s-trans (or E) alternative, due to a combination of hyperconjugation and dipole minimization effects. The preference for the Z conformation is influenced by the nature of the substituents and solvent, if present. Lactones with small rings are restricted to the s-trans (i.e. E) conformation due to their cyclic structure.Product Details of 33166-79-9

Referemce:
Ester – Wikipedia,
Ester – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics