April, 1951 DEALCOHOLATION OF ORTHOESTERS WITH ALUMINUM BUTOXIDE 1401 minum t-butoxide. This reaction is especially valuable for the dealcoholation of the lower boiling orthoesters and makes available for further study the dialkylated compounds, dimethylketene dimethyl and diethylacetals. In the preparation of the higher boiling ketene acetals, such SLS the phenylketene acetals, the volatility of the aluminum t-butoxide (and ...