Final answer:
During the ketonic hydrolysis of acetoacetic ester with potassium hydroxide, the main product obtained is potassium acetoacetate. The ester linkage is split, producing the potassium salt of the acid and freeing the alcohol portion. This process is similar to the formation of potassium acetoacetate from acetic acid and potassium carbonate.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the ketonic hydrolysis of acetoacetic ester with potassium hydroxide, acetoacetate is obtained as the main product. The basic hydrolysis involves the base molecule splitting the ester linkage, where the acid portion becomes the salt of the acid, which in the context of acetoacetic ester hydrolysis, becomes potassium acetoacetate. Simultaneously, the alcohol portion of the ester is released as the free alcohol. This process is mirrored in the reaction of acetic acid with potassium carbonate, where acetic acid is also transformed into its potassium salt.
It is important to note that acetoacetic ester can also lead to the formation of ketone bodies such as acetone and acetoacetate during the metabolic process of ketogenesis in the liver, although this process is biologically distinct from chemical hydrolysis. The primary product of the ketonic hydrolysis, potassium acetoacetate, has the potential to be reduced to beta-hydroxybutyrate or decarboxylated to acetone and carbon dioxide in biological systems.