NOVELTY - Producing porous metal oxide, metal hydroxide, metal carbonate, sulfate or metal oxalate particles, comprises: (a) forming metal oxide, hydroxide, carbonate, sulfate or oxolate particles from an alkoxide or organometallic material; and (b) removing residual organic materials in the particles by treating the particles with water and/or at least one aprotic solvent via stripping and/or washing.    USE - The method is useful for producing porous metal oxide, metal hydroxide, metal carbonate, sulfate or metal oxalate particles, which are useful for preparing synthetic silica that is useful in a glass article (all claimed) for semiconductor processing such as racks, windows and containments, and fiber optics, where: the metal oxides are useful as functional materials to provide heat resistance/conduction, as structural materials, as composite membranes for fuel cells, solar cells, catalysts, coatings, light diffusers, cosmetics and ceramic glasses; and the silica is useful as photocatalysts and in optics applications such as ultra low expansion glass for extreme UV lithography and space satellites and pharmaceutical application.    ADVANTAGE - The method allows production of porous metal oxide, metal hydroxide, metal carbonate, sulfate or metal oxalate particles with high purity and yield and controlled particle size, surface area and porosity thus providing the silica with high purity.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) synthetic silica particles formed by the method;    (2) a glass article formed by vacuum fusion of the silica particles; and    (3) making high purity synthetic silica, comprising forming (20) a first phase comprising a mixture of water, a silica source, a first catalyst, a first surfactant and a first alcohol, adding (40) the first phase to a second phase comprising water, a second alcohol and a second surfactant to form a blend, treating (50) the blend with a measured amount of a phase enhancer, treating the blend with a second catalyst to form silica particles, and treating the silica particles by stripping and/or washing, where the treating step is carried out using water and/or aprotic solvent.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a flowchart of a method for making high purity metal oxide particles.    Forming a first phase comprising water, a metal source, a first surfactant, first catalyst and a first alcohol (20)    Forming a second phase having water, a second alcohol and a second surfactant (30)    Adding first phase to second phase to form a blend (40)    Treating a phase enhancer to the blend (50)    Reacting the blend with a second catalyst to form metal oxide particles. (60)