This communication reports a reliable one-pot synthetic protocol for preparation on a multigram scale of 3-bromo- and 3,4-dibromo-6-nitro-1,8-naphthalic anhydride from commercially available and economical 1,8-naphthalic anhydride. The synthetic steps used were nitration and selective bromination in sulfuric acid at room temperature. The reaction takes place under mild conditions and is completely controllable depending on the equivalents of the brominating reagent used. Both anhydrides are powerful building blocks in naphthalimide chemistry. In addition, their imides and esters were also synthesized.

A general protocol for the synthesis of 3,4-dihalogen substituted 1,8-naphthalimides is proposed, starting from available and cheap 1,8-naphthalic anhydride. The reported new compounds have only bromine or chlorine atoms as substituents, in contrast to the known iodo-containing analogues. This is an advantage in possible aryl nucleophilic substitution or cross-coupling modifications, making them interesting and important building-block molecules in naphthalimide chemistry. Although the procedure includes five synthetic steps, they are quick and straightforward. The overall yields are relatively high (48–62%), and only one column of chromatographic purification is needed. All the reactions were carried out on a multigram scale to allow the target building-block compounds to be obtained in sufficient amounts for further derivatizations.