Patent ID: 7192512

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a trialkyl orthocarboxylate (orthoester O), comprising: electrochemically oxidizing an alpha,beta-diketone or an alpha, beta-hydroxyketone, wherein the keto groups of the alpha, beta-diketone compound or the keto group of the alpha, beta-hydroxyketone compound are present in the form of ketal groups derived from C 1 - to C 4 -alkylalcohols and the hydroxyl group of the alpha-beta-hydroxyketone optionally being present in the form of an ether group derived from C 1 - to C 4 -alkylalcohols (ketals K), in the presence of a C 1 - to C 4 -alcohol (alcohols A) medium that contains an medium electrolyte, the molar ratio of the sum of the orthoester O and the ketals K to the alcohols A in the medium ranging from 0.2:1 to 5:1.