Treatment of certain dialkoxy-benzoic acids was found to yield dialkoxy-phthalides containing a chloromethyl group. The constitutions of a number of these compounds have been elucidated by unambiguous syntheses. Inter alia, it was observed that the Fries rearrangement of 4-acetoxy-3-methoxy-toluene yielded exclusively a m-hydroxy-acetophenone. This appears to be the only recorded case of an exclusive meta-rearrangement. Several intermediate aldehydes and some compounds derived from them are described.