Synthesis of tetralone and indanone derivatives via cascade reductive Friedel-Crafts alkylation/cyclization of keto acids/esters.

We disclose herein a metal-free cascade reductive Friedel-Crafts alkylation/cyclization of keto acids/esters for the synthesis of tetralones and indanones. Owing to the simple reaction conditions and setup, this protocol features broad substrate generality, facile scalability, and remarkable functional group tolerance, including the synthesis of bioactive molecule sertraline.