Abstract: In a process for preparing betadiketones which comprises an alkaline condensation of an ester and an acetophenone in the presence of an alkaline catalyst in an inert organic solvent, the improvement comprising at least one of the following conditions:(i) adding the acetophenone to the reaction mixture in a time period sufficiently short whereby degradation products in the reaction mixture are minimized;(ii) at the completion of the reaction, adding additional solvent to rapidly decrease the temperature of the reaction product mixture.(iii) mixing the organic solvent phase with the aqueous acid phase in the acidification step for a time period sufficiently long whereby the concentration of alkali metal remaining in the organic solvent phase is substantially zero; and(iv) decreasing the time between the completion of the acetophenone addition step and the initiation of the acidification step.

Abstract: An improved process for oximation of carbonyl compounds, such as ketones and aldehydes by oximation with hydroxylamine including oximation processes carried out in the presence of a catalytic amount of an acid phase transfer catalyst, such as 2-ethylhexanoic acid, and/or the presence of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal catalyst. The resulting oximes are useful as metal extractants.