Patent ID: 8350051

Claim:
A process for producing an α-hydroxyketone compound which comprises subjecting an aldehyde compound to a coupling reaction in the presence of an alkoxyimidazolidine compound represented by the formula (1): wherein R 1 and R 2 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alykd group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or R 1 and R 2 may be combined with each other to form a ring together with the carbon atoms to which R 1 and R 2 are attached, R 3 and R 4 independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, and R 5 represents an alkyl group, wherein the coupling reaction of the aldehyde compound is a homocoupling reaction of an aldehyde compound represented by the formula (2): wherein R 6 represents a hydrogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group.