Patent ID: 6858749

Claim:
A process for producing β-ketoester of the formula: comprising the steps of: (a) contacting an alkyl acetoacetate of the formula CH 3 C(═O)CH 2 C(═O)OR 10 , with a magnesium alkoxide under conditions sufficient to produce a magnesium salt of said alkyl acetoacetate and a first alcohol and removing at least a portion of said first alcohol; (b) contacting said alkyl acetoacetate magnesium salt with an alkyl acyl halide of the formula R 1 C(═O)X, under conditions sufficient to produce a tricarbonyl compound of the formula R 1 C(═O)CH[C(═O)CH 3 ]C(═O)OR 10 ; and (c) contacting said tricarbonyl compound with a second alcohol under conditions sufficient to produce said β-ketoester, wherein X is a halide; R 1 is C 1 -C 20 alkyl; and R 10 is C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl or C 7 -C 20 arylalkyl.