Two synthetic approaches have been explored to prepare 6-deoxyanthracyclinones in general and α-citromycinone in particular. The first approach employed as starting materials 1, 4, 5-trimethoxynaphthalene and the Diels-Alder product from butadie regioselective carbon acylation of 4-hydroxy-l, 5-dimethoxynaphthalene with the half-ester acid chloride of cis-4, 5-dicarboxycyclohexene. The resulting product was converted to 7, 10-dideoxy-α- ...