The stepwise degradation of a car­boxylic acid to the next lower homo­logue. First the ester is converted into a tertiary alcohol using a Grig­nard reagent (PhMgX) and acid (HX): RCH2COOCH3 → RCH2C(OH)Ph2 The secondary alcohol is then dehy­drated using ethanoic anhydride (CH3COOCOCH3) to give an alkene: RCH2C(OH)Ph2 → RCH=CPh2 The alkene is oxidized with chromic

baking powder A mixture of pow­dered compounds added to dough or cake mixture to make it rise in cook­ing. It is used as a substitute for yeast in bread-making. Baking powders consist of a source of carbon dioxide, such as sodium hydrogencarbonate or ammonium hydrogencarbonate, and an acidic substance such as cal­cium hydrogenphosphate, potassium hydrogentartrate

A re­arrangement reaction, sometimes known as the Dakin reaction, com­monly used in organic synthesis in which a ketone reacts with a peroxy acid to form an ester. For example, R-CO-R → R-CO-O-R The reaction is equivalent to the in­sertion of an oxygen atom next to the ketone’s carbonyl (>C=O) group. Meta-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA; ClC6H4.CO.O.OH) and