Summary Slow addition of precooled solutions of lithium enolates in THF (Fig. 1) to solutions of equimolar amounts of acyl chlorides in the same solvent at temperatures between-80 and- 100" furnishes 1, 3-diketones in acceptable to good yields (Tables 1-3). Even 3- nitropropionyl and 4-nitrobutyryl chloride can be employed for the (1: 1)-acylation of enolates to give the synthetically useful 5-and 6-nitro-l, 3-diketones 13 and 25, ...
