Recent advances in the transesterification of ß-keto esters.

The ability to selectively transesterify ß-keto esters is a useful transformation in organic synthesis. The increasing interest in transesterification for the synthesis of compounds of pharmaceutical importance, as well as for biodiesel production, has led to the development of a variety of different approaches. This article aims to summarise recent advances in the transesterifications of ß-keto esters. Particular interest has been paid to methodologies with minimal environmental impact.