Friedel–Crafts acylation is the most well-known and widely used method for obtaining aromatic ketones, and it is considered one of the most important industrial reactions. Due to environmental, financial, and health concerns, sustainable alternatives to conventional synthetic routes have been developed. These alternatives include the use of carboxylic acid anhydrides and trifluoroacetic acid. The latter allows for synthesis without the use of the problematic catalyst AlCl3, which poses a significant burden on both humans and the environment due to its toxicity and stoichiometric amounts required for the reaction. In this thesis, I focused on the synthesis of aromatic ketones using both the conventional and alternative sustainable approaches. The synthetic routes differ in selectivity, reaction time, reagents, as well as in the products and their yields. By interpreting the results of spectroscopic analysis of the products, I provided a better understanding for comparing the mentioned parameters in both methods.
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