PURPOSE: To obtain an alkali metal alkoxide solution containing high concentration of chlorine with a stabilized composition for a long period of time by direct reaction of specific equivalents of alkali metal with a metal chloride dissolved in an alcohol.

CONSTITUTION: Less than n gram equivalents of an alkali metal is added to a solution of 1 gram equivalent of a metal chloride (MCln), e.g., TiCl4, GeCl4, SnCl4 in the liquid form and TaCl4, ZrCl4 or SnCl2 in the solid form, in an alcohol of 1W10 carbon atoms to give a chlorine-containing metal alkoxide solution of the formula: MCln-x. The metal chloride is used in the anhydrous form, the air in the reaction system is replaced with a dried gas, then the chloride is dissolved in an dehydrated alcohol. The addition of an alkali metal can readily control the chlorine substitution.