| abstract |
A process is provided for preparing ceric alkoxides, which comprises reacting ceric ammonium nitrate with an alcohol, including a lower aliphatic alcohol, under anhydrous conditions in the presence of an anhydrous base at a temperature within the range from about -30° C. to about 200° C. but preferably from 0° to about 150° C. until ceric alkoxide and the nitrate salt of the base are formed; ceric alkoxides of higher alcohols can be prepared by transetherification of the resulting ceric alkoxide with the higher alcohol, either simultaneously or sequentially, at a temperature within the range from about -30° C. to about 200° C., thereby displacing the lower aliphatic alcohol and forming the ceric alkoxide of the higher alcohol, while distilling off free lower aliphatic alcohol in the course of the transetherification, to drive it towards completion; the nitrates formed during the reaction can be separated from the reaction mixture and the alkoxides isolated pure or as complexes with the alcohol, or in some cases the alkoxides can be used without separation from the reaction mixture in the presence of the nitrates. |