Patent ID: 8143455

Claim:
A process for preparing 2-hydroxyacetals of the general formula (Ia) in which R 1 is hydrogen, a branched or unbranched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl radical, an electron-deficient C 5 -C 6 -aryl or heteroaryl radical which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, an —NO 2 , —CN, —CF 3 or acyl group or a branched or unbranched alkyl group, and R 2 is a branched or unbranched C 1 -C 5 -alkyl radical, or the two R 2 radicals are bonded directly to one another or via a C 1 -C 4 unit, by reacting an enol compound of the general formula (II) in which R 3 is R 1 is as defined for formula (Ia) with bromine to give the corresponding dibromo adduct and then reacting this dibromo adduct with an alkoxide of the general formula (III) M-O—R 2 (III) in which R 2 is as defined for formula (Ia) and O is oxygen and M is lithium, sodium or potassium, wherein the dibromo adduct of the enol compound is metered in at a reaction temperature between 10 and 30° C. over a reaction time of 0.5 to 4 hours and the mixture is then stirred at 20 to 40° C.