Abstract: The synthesis of &y-unsaturated ketones from carboxylic acid anhydrides, zinc chloride, and a variety of cyclic and acyclic olefins is found to be effective only for simple anhydrides and olefins. The conversions of I-methylcyclohexene (3) to 6-acetyl-1- methylcyclohexene (4) and of methylenecyclohexane (9) to I-cyclohexenylacetone (10) are illustrative of the 22 cases included. The observation of a product isotope effect in the ...