A reaction sequence for the preparation of the anthraoyclinone precursor,1,4,5,-trimethogyanthraquinone (2),was described.Thus,quinizarin (4) was chlorinated with thionyl chloride to give 10-ohloro-l-hydrozy-anthraquinone-[4,9] (6).Nitration of 5 followed by hydrolysis,5-nitroquinizarin (6) was obtained in good yield and high purity.Methylation of the nitroquinizarin with dimethyl snlfatepotassium carbonate in butanone afforded5-nitro-1,4-dimethogyanthraqninone (7).The trimethozyanthraquinone (2) was then obtained by subsequent nucleophilio substitution using sodium methozide in methanol.