In the alkylation of cyclopentanone, better yields are obtained by first reacting cyclopentanone with an equivalent of lithium diisopropylamde in THF and then adding the alkyl halide ratehr than mixing cyclopentanone, alkyl halide and a catalytic amount of sodium ethoxide in ethanol. exaplin this obeservation by pointing out what the problems with the second reaction conditions might be and how the first set of reaction conditions help allevite the problems.