4-Hydroxyquinolinone esters are a common motif for manymedicinal agents. Several methods exist for preparation ofthese compounds, generally involving the use of sodiumhydride, which raises significant safety issues and limits theirapplication to large-scale synthesis. In this note a practical,safe, and general method that employs a combination ofdiisopropylethylamine and sodium
tert-butoxide is described.This allows for the synthesis of 4-hydroxyquinolinone estersand amides in good yields.