Many alkoxides are prepared by salt-forming reactions from a metal chlorides and sodium alkoxide:
Such reactions are favored by the lattice energy of the NaCl, and purification of the product alkoxide is simplified by the fact that NaCl is insoluble in common organic solvents.
For electrophilic metal halides, conversion to the alkoxide requires no or mild base. Titanium tetrachloride reacts with alcohols to give the corresponding tetraalkoxides, concomitant with the evolution of hydrogen chloride:
The reaction can be accelerated by the addition of a base, such as a tertiary amine.  Other electrophilic metal halides can be used instead of titanium, for example .