It is well known that acetylacetone can be alkylated with an alkyl halide by means of a suitable base2 and that the resulting alkyl derivative can be cleaved by an alcoholic base. 3 We have effected such an alkylation-cleavage process to form ketones of type I1 in a single procedure by means of ethanolic potassium carbonate; in certain cases a dialliylation- cleavage process to forin ketones of type IV was also observed (Scheme