It is shown that colchicine (4) can regiospecifically be transetherified at C(10) by heating in ROH in the presence of (RO)4M (M = Ti, Zr; cf. Scheme 2). (PrO)4Zr in PrOH gives better yields than (PrO)4Ti in PrOH, and also in the catalytic variant of the conversion is (PrO)4Zr more effective than (PrO)4Ti.