Thionyl chloride mediated dehydroxylation of 3-hydroxyindanones to indenones

Quantitative transformation of 3-hydroxyindanones to indenones was achieved via SOCl2 mediated dehydroxylation for the first time. Failure of both acid and base mediated dehydration of 3-hydroxyindanones encouraged us to devise a new protocol involving activation followed by elimination of the hydroxyl group. Thionyl chloride efficiently served the purpose and afforded the desired indenones in excellent yields.