The haloform reaction is a chemical reaction where a methyl ketone is reacted with halogen and a base to produce a haloform (a trihalogenated methane such as chloroform or bromoform) and a carboxylate anion. Compounds that can undergo this reaction include methyl ketones and secondary alcohols that can be oxidized to methyl ketones. The reaction proceeds through multiple halogenation steps at the methyl group adjacent to the carbonyl, followed by the base-induced cleavage of the carbon-carbon bond, leading to the formation of the haloform and a carboxylate salt.