Process of making ketones

A process for preparing a ketone comprising admixing the reaction product of a compound which has acidic protons and a molecular structure which can delocalize the electron density of a conjugate base, perchloroalkane, and aqueous base in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst which is a tetraalkyl-ammonium or -phosphonium salt with an acid such that a ketone is is formed.

A process for preparing a ketone comprising (a) reacting a compound having acidic protons and a molecular structure which can delocalize the electron density of a conjugate base, said compound having the acidic protons on a saturated carbon atom which also has at least one substituent selected from vinyl, nitro, carbonyl, cyano, sulfone or phenyl groups, with a perchloroalkane and aqueous base in the presence of a tetraalkylammonium or tetraalkylphosphonium hydroxide phase transfer catalyst to form at least one gem-dichloro compound;

• and (b) admixing the gem-dichloro compound having a gem-dichloro group adjacent at least one vinyl, nitro, carbonyl, cyano, sulfone, or phenyl group with an effective amount of at least one acid or pKa at most about 14 in the presence of at least about one mole of water for each mole of gem-dichloro compound such that a ketone is formed.