Process of preparing sodium salts of

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SOLID DISODIUM SALT OF A MONOSUBSTITUTED MALONIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE A LOWER ALKANOL ESTER OF A SUBSTITUTED MALONIC ACID SELECTED FORM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LOWER ALKYL, LOWER ALKENYL AND PHENYL MONOSUBSTITUTED MALONIC ACIDS WITH SODIUM HYDROXIDE IN AN ALCOHOLIC SOLUTION FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO SAPONIFY SAID ESTER, SAID ALCOHOL IN SAID ALCOHOLIC SOLUTION CONTAINING FROM ONE TO THREE CARBON ATOMS AND SAID SOLUTION CONTAINING LESS THAN 30% BY WEIGHT OF WATER, WHEREBY A MAJOR AMOUNT OF SAID DISODIUM SLAT IS FORMED AS A PRECIPITATE AND THEREAFTER SEPARATING SAID PRECIPITATE FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE.