TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: All the steps are preferably performed at (-) 10 degrees C to reflux temperature of the solvent used. Preferred Components: The alcoholic solvent is selected from methanol, ethanol and/or isopropanol (preferably methanol). The base is an organic base, and is selected from triethylamine, pyridine, N-methylpiperidine, 1,8-diazabicycloundecene, 4,4-dimethylaminopyridine, dicyclohexylamine, diphenylamine, diisopropylamine, N-tert-butylcyclohexylamine and/or N,N-dibenzylethylenediamine (preferably triethylamine). The pH is preferably 2-4. The acid is hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. ACTIVITY - Antibacterial. No biological data given.    MECHANISM OF ACTION - None given.    ADMINISTRATION - The cefotaxime acid is administered parenterally. No dosage details given.    EXAMPLE - 7-Amino-3-acetoxymethyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid (50 g) and 2-mercapto-benzothiazolyl-(Z)-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-methoxyiminoacetate (77.3 g) were added in methanol (250 ml) and stirred at 25-30 degrees C. The reaction mixture was cooled down to 0-5 degrees C. Triethylamine (27.86 g) was added to the reaction mixture at the same temperature within 15 minutes. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0-5 degrees C until the completion of reaction. Water (1000 ml) was added to the reaction mixture and the precipitated 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (by-product) was filtered off. Activated carbon was added to the filtrate and stirred for 30 minutes. The carbon was filtered through hyflo bed. Hydros (2 g) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (1 g) were added to the filtrate and stirred for 10 minutes at 28-30 degrees C. Dilute hydrochloric acid (1:1) was added to the reaction mixture to adjust the pH to 2.3-2.5 at 0-5 degrees C for precipitation. The resulting precipitated material was stirred at the same temperature for 1 hour. The product was filtered and washed with acetone and dried completely to yield cefotaxime acid (80 g) with 99.30% purity by HPLC.