Following the observation of E. Bergmann that the acetal of o-benzylbenzaldehyde (I) yields a certain amount of anthracene when hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid in acetone, Rradshe? worked out a convenient method of synthesizing 9-substituted anthracenes and 1,- "-bemanthracenes in excellent yield by refluxing ketones uf the type I1 with 34% hydrobromic acid arid acetic acid. The synthesis of naphthalene by the cyclization of B- ...