Aluminum chloride (440 g) suspended in anhydrous 1,2-dichloroethane (500 ml) was stirred and treated dropwise with acetic anhydride (162 ml, 175 g) at 0C. The resulting solution was then added to a solution of fluorene (125 g) in 1,2-dichloroethane (700 ml) at 0C with stirring. After addition, half of the dichloroethane was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was poured into a mixture of ice and 2N hydrochloric acid. The resulting solid was collected by filtration, washed with water, dried and recrystallized from acetone to give 2,7-diacetylfluorene, m.p. 205C 177-180.
