Functionalized anthraquinones have received much attention in recent years due to their industrial applications (eg, textile dyestuff) 1 and their use as antiinflammatory agents2 in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and as functional starting units in total synthesis of anthracycline antibiotics as anticancer drugs. 3 Yet the functionalization has been restricted to a narrow choice of chemical transformations. This is largely due to inertness of ...
