Sols obtained by chelation of titanium n-butoxide with ethyl acetoacetate, Eaa, in various ratios have been subjected to FTIR, H-1 and C-13 NMR, HSQC and UV-Vis spectroscopy in order to provide insight in the compounds obtained, their structure and quantitative relationships. Three compounds, the bischelated monomer, Ti((OBu)-Bu-n)(2)(Eaa)(2), bis-chelated dimer, (Ti((OEu)-Eu-n)(3)Eaa)(2) and monochelated dimer, Ti-2((OBu)-Bu-n)(7)Eaa have been established. As the molar ratio Eaa/Ti((OBu)-Bu-n)(4) increases, the coordination changes from the monochelated and bis-chelated dimer to the bis-chelated monomer. Additionally, the transesterification reaction, influencing the chemical composition of the compounds was noted. The hydrolysis of the prepared sols was partial, leaving some residual butoxy and ethyl acetoacetate groups attached to titanium. Thermal treatment of the prepared amorphous gels at 350 degrees C yielded with the formation of nanocrystalline anatase. It was noted that high Eaa/Tnb ratio slightly retards the anatase formation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.