The present invention provides a method of esterifying dihydroxybenzene starting materials to synthesize unsymmetrical diesters in high yield. Many of the resultant unsymmetrical diesters are useful in dry bleaching compositions. The method can be practiced by selectively monoacylating a dihydroxybenzene starting material with an acid anhydride to form an intermediate monoester having the structure
which is then acylated to form a diester reaction product hav- ing the structure
wherein R 1 is greater than R 3 (and both R, and R 3 are alkyl groups) and X is a substituent group which does not participate In the esterification (or which can have a protecting group thereon).