Five grams of (2,4-dihydroxy-3-propylphenyl)- (2-hydroxyphenyl)methanone, 5.63 ml of triethylamine, and approximately 50 mg of dimethylaminopyridine were dissolved in 50 ml of diethyl ether at 0° C. Acetic anhydride (3.8 ml) was added dropwise. After stirring for 1 hour, the reaction mixture was partitioned between diethyl ether and water. The organic layer was separated, washed with 1N hydrochloric acid, a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate, and a saturated solution of sodium chloride, dried over magnesium sulfate, and concentrated in vacuo. Purification by high pressure liquid chromatography over silica gel eluting with a 10-25% ethyl acetate in hexane gradient and concentration of the appropriate fractions provided 2.6 g of the desired title product as an oil.
