Process for preparing substituted cyclic acetals of oxyacetaldehydes and said cyclic acetals

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
A process for preparing citronellyl oxyacetaldehyde alkylene acetal according to the reaction: ##STR25## comprising the steps of (a) intimately admixing citronellol with chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal in the presence of a base which is sodium hydroxide and a phase transfer agent which is tricapryl methyl ammonium chloride; the reaction temperature being in the range of from 120.
degree.
C.
up to about 200.
degree.
C.
; the mole ratio of citronellol to chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal being from 0.
5:1 up to 2:1, the mole ratio of citronellol to base being between 1:1 and 1:2; the concentration of tricapryl methyl ammonium chloride phase transfer agent in the reaction mass based on amount of chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal being in the range of from 0.
5 grams of tricapryl methyl ammonium chloride per mole of chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal up to 25 grams of tricapryl methyl ammonium chloride per mole of chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal; the reaction being carried out in the absence of solvent or in the presence of a solvent selected from the group consisting of xylene and decalin; and (b) fractionally distilling the resulting product hereby citronellyl oxyacetaldehyde alkylene acetal is recovered from the distillate; wherein ##STR26## is the citronellyl moiety; wherein R.
sub.
1 and R.
sub.
2 taken together form an alkylene moiety having from 2 up to 4 carbon atoms and wherein X is chloro.
2.
A process for preparing a mixture of geranyl oxyacetaldehyde and neryl oxyacetaldehyde according to the reaction sequence: ##STR27## comprising the steps of (a) intimately admixing a mixture of geraniol and nerol with chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal in the presence of a base which is sodium hydroxide and a phase transfer agent which is tricapryl methyl ammonium chloride; the reaction temperature being in the range of from 120.
degree.
C.
up to about 200.
degree.
C.
; the mole ratio of mixture of geraniol and nerol to chloroacetaldehyde alkylene acetal being from 0