Aryl ketones containing substituents at both ortho-positions are found in a variety of natural products with many interesting biological activities. 1 For the construction of these sterically hindered aryl ketones, the Friedel-Crafts acylation has been successfully used, albeit with a little difficulty. 2 In addition, a nucleophilic addition-elimination reaction with acyl electrophiles has been the most frequently utilized for the preparation of the ketones. To ...
