Fries rearrangement of substituted phenyl benzoates 1a–j to substituted hydroxy benzophenones 2a–j was achieved in excellent yield. Further benzoylation of 2a–j to benzoyloxy benzophenones 4a–n, a benzophenone analogue was achieved in good yield. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity and were compared with standard drugs. Out of the compounds studied, the compounds 4c, ...
