Abstract: Acylation of alkyl aryl ethers has been observed to be uniquely dependent on the stoichiometry of the FriedelLCrafts catalyst. With 100 mol% catalyst, acylation proceeds rapidly and in high yield; with large molar excesses of catalyst, the reaction is essentially completely arrested. This inhibition can be reversed by using sterically bulky alkyl groups which effectively prevent complexing between catalyst and aryl ether. Based on these ...