Triturate the solid with 90% aqueous MeOH, filter, wash with 90% aqueous MeOH and dry it in a vacuum. Recrystallise it from MeOH (needles or plates), but use warm MeOH and cool to crystallise; do not boil as it decomposes slowly. IR has max 1785 (C=O) cm-1 and NMR (CDCl3) usually shows two tert-butyl singlets for syn and anti isomers. Store it in a brown bottle (fridge). It evolves CO2 at room temperature (stoppered bottle can explode!), but can be stored over silica gel which may extend its useful life to more than a year. [Itoh et al. Org Synth 59 95 1980.]
