Barium titanate has been prepared at room temperature from a well-characterized crystalline barium titanium oxo alkoxide by reaction with acetone. An aldol condensation apparently supplies oxygen to condensing oxo alkoxide clusters. Transmission electron microscopy confirms that the crystallites so formed are dense and perfect with an average size of approximately 85 Å. Characterization of reactants and products provides a tentative understanding of structural evolution and the intermediates of the transformation. Crystalline SrTiO3 and BaZrO3 were also formed at room temperature by this same method.
