Method of preparing substituted malonic ester anilides and malonic acid mono-anilides

In the preparation of a mono-ester mono-amide, mono-acid mono-amide or bis-amide of a singly or doubly substituted malonic acid, of the formula ##STR16## or a mixture thereof, wherein a singly or doubly substituted malonic acid dialkyl ester of the formula ##STR17## is reacted with an aniline of the formula ##STR18## wherein R.sub.1 =O-alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6) OH, O.sup.- alkali.sup.+, or ##STR19## R.sub.2 =alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), alkoxy (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), or aryl, R.sub.3 =H, alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), alkoxy (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), or aryl, or

• R.sub.2 +R.sub.3 =--(R.sub.4 CR.sub.4).sub.n --, where n=2-5
• R.sub.4 =H, CH.sub.3, or halogen,
• R.sub.5 =halogen, alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), alkoxy (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6), N(R.sub.6).sub.2, cyano, acyl, nitro, or thioalkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6),
• m=0-5, and
• R.sub.6 =alkyl (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6),
• the improvement which comprises
• a) effecting the reaction in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of an alkali alcoholate based on the aniline (III),
• b) neutralizing the reaction product with an acid thereby to produce the malonic mono-ester mono-anilide and malonic bis-anilide, and
• c) reacting the product with water thereby to saponify the ester group in the reaction mixture to produce the mono-anilide.