This conclusion could not be confirmed in this Laboratory and appears to have been the result of misinterpretation of the experimental data. The latter were obtained by titration of the reaction mixtures with alcoholic potassium hydroxide which was tacitly assumed to be a neutralization of the acid ester. The equally rapid reaction of alcoholates with anhydrides, however, was not considered, i. e. ... R'(C0)tO + ROH R'(CO0R)COOH (A)
