A Non-Benzenoid Route to Thio-Oxybenzone Analogs: Superior UV Protection with Reduced Cytotoxicity.

A one-pot methodology for the tandem acylation and oxidative aromatization of vinylogous thioesters to 2-acyl-5-(alkyl/arylthio)phenols is presented. Initially, cyclohexane-1,3-diones were converted to vinylogous thioesters through FeCl3-mediated thioenolization. This was followed by LiTMP-mediated acylation and DDQ-mediated aromatization, which resulted in the synthesis of sulphur derived oxybenzone analogs.