PURPOSE:To obtain the titled compound useful as an intermediate for a perfume, an insecticide or a medicine, readily in a short stage, by condensing a readily available acetoacetic ester with a monohalogenoacetone, and saponifying and decarboxylating the condensate. CONSTITUTION:An acetoacetic ester expressed by formula I (R is alkyl) is reacted with a monohalogenoacetone expressed by formula II (X is Cl, Br or I) in the presence of a base, e.g. an alkali metallic hydroxide or an alkali metallic alkoxide, in a polar solvent, at -10-25 deg.C, to prepare 2-acetyllevulinic acid. When a polar nonaqueous solvent is used as the reaction solvent, the solvent is eliminated, and the 2-acetyllevulinic acid is saponified in the presence of a mineral acid, alkaline hydroxide, etc., and subsequently decarboxylated, to give the aimed compound. A mineral or organic acid which enables the simultaneous decarboxylation, may be preferably used for the saponification. When water is used as the reaction solvent, the saponification occurs at the same time with the acetonylation.
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