Production of a hexahydronaphthalenone compound

A method for synthesizing the compound having the formula ##STR14## which comprises acetylizing 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-5-ene to furnish 2-(2-acetoxyethyl)bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-5-ene,

• cleaving the olefinic entity in the latter acetate to give 2-(2-acetoxyethyl)cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid,
• converting the dicarboxylic acid to the diacid chloride 2-(3-acetoxyethyl)cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxyl chloride,
• reacting the dicarboxyl chloride with methyl copper to furnish the acetoxydiketone 2-(2-acetoxyethyl)-1,4-bis(acetyl)-cyclohexane,
• hydrolyzing the the acetoxydiketone with sodium hydroxide to give the lactol 6-acetyl-1-hydroxy-1-methyl-3,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-1H-2-benzop yran,
• oxidizing the lactol to produce 1,4-diacetyl-cyclohexane-2-acetaldehyde, and
• cyclizing and dehydrating the latter to yield the object compound.