Method of preparing 2-aryl-3-cyclopentanedione compounds

A method of preparing a compound of the formula:

• ##STR12## which comprises reacting in a toluene solvent a compound of the formula:
• ##STR13## with a sodium ethoxide base;
• wherein:
• R is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group;
• R.sub.1 is an alkyl, haloalkyl, halogen or polyhaloalkyl group:
• R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, and R.sub.5 are individually hydrogen, or a nitro, polyhaloalkyl, halogen, cyano, alkyl, alkoxy, alkylthio, alkylsulfinyl, alkylsulfonyl, alkanoyl, amido, amino or haloalkyl group;
• R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8, and R.sub.9 are individually hydrogen, or either an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl or phenyl group wherein the permissible substituents are one or more alkyl, alkanoyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cyano, halogen, nitro, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, alkylsulfinyl, alkylsulfonyl, acylamido or dialkylamino groups;
• with the provisos that R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 substituents individually may not include more than ten aliphatic carbon atoms.