Process for the manufacture of di-t-butylperoxy ketals

In a method for the preparation of ethylbenzene soluble di-t-butylperoxy ketals from a ketone and tertiarybutyl hydroperoxide in the presence of an acidic catalyst wherein the ketone and tertiarybutyl hydroperoxide in a molar ratio of 1:21/2 to 1:4 and acidic catalyst such as sulfuric acid, para-toluene sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, dodecylphosphoric acid, oxalic acid are dispersed in a solvent at a temperature 30.degree.-80.degree. C below the decomposition temperature of the desired di-t-butylperoxy ketals and under a pressure from 20 to 100 millimeters mercury, a pressure sufficiently low that water is removed from the reaction mixture and condensed at a location remote from the reaction mixture to thereby convert at least a major portion of the ketone to the corresponding di-t-butylperoxy ketals, the improvement which comprises employing ethylbenzene in proportions of about 1 to 10 times by weight of the ketone as the solvent conducting the reaction in the presence of an excess of tertiarybutyl hydroperoxide, removing water from the reaction mixture by azeotropic distillation with ethylbenzene and removing at least a major portion of the excess tertiarybutyl hydroperoxide by azeotropic distillation with ethylbenzene to provide a solution containing at least one di-t-butylperoxy ketal and ethylbenzene.