Facile synthesis of 1,7,8-trifluoro-2-naphthol via DMAP catalyzed cycloaromatization

A facile synthesis of 1,7,8-trifluoro-2-naphthol, an important synthetic intermediate for liquid crystal compounds with a 1,7,8-trifluoronaphthalene structure, was developed starting from 4-bromo-1,2-difluorobenzene via DMAP catalyzed intramolecular cycloaromatization in 51% overall yield for the 6 steps.