I'm wondering if you could help me answer a few questions about a lab I'm doing. We are preparing an a,b-unsaturated ketone via Michael and aldol condensation reactions. The reactants are trans-chalcone and ethyl acetoacetate (in ethanol and NaOH). This creates 6-ethoxycarbonyl-3,5-diphenyl-2-cyclohexenone.
1) A white solid remains in centrifuge tube after acetone extraction-it fizzes when hydrochloric acid is added suggesting sodium carbonate was formed- How did it form? Write a balanced equation for the formation?