Friedel-Crafts synthesis of 4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-naphthalenone, a key intermediate in the preparation of the antidepressant sertraline

In summary, an efficient synthesis of tetralone 5 was achieved in three steps by employing chemoselective ketone reduction and a double Friedel-Crafts alkylation/acylation reaction sequence (5: tittle compound)