Resorcinol condenses with succinic anhydride forming resorcinolsuccinein as the main product and tetrahydroxy-dibenzoyl-ethane as a very minor by-product. Orcinol also gives a good yield of orcinol-succinein. These could be used conveniently for the preparation of halogen and mercury substituted derivatives. Resorcinol gives only a poor yield of the malein, the major condensation product with maleic anhydride being the diketone, tetrahydroxy-dibenzoyl-ethylene. Phenol does not give any isolable quantity of succinein or malein and only the corresponding diketones could be isolated by condensation with succinic anhydride and maleic anhydride. A number of derivatives of the diketones are described.