Double alkylation of benzene to form tetralin

I have been asked to suggest a synthesis for the following compound (tetralin) from benzene:


![Structure of tetralin](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tNUZi.png)


I am unsure how to do this. It surely can't be Friedel–Crafts alkylation because of carbocation rearrangement and polyalkylation, right? Possibly a double acylation followed by a double reduction? Is there an issue with this; maybe a competing aldol type reaction in the double acyl chloride reagent that would be required. 




You've got it right, double acylation and double reduction - but the first reduction occurs after the first acylation. FWIW, the name of the reaction is the [Haworth reaction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedel%E2%80%93Crafts_reaction) and is commonly used to synthesize substituted tetralins, naphthalenes and higher aromatic polycyclics.


In your particular case, here is a diagram of the first 3 steps in the reaction


[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dd9Uo.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dd9Uo.png)


* Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with succinic anhydride
* reduction of the ketone using a Wolff-Kishner or Clemmensen reduction
* a second Friedel-Crafts acylation using strong acid; it is an internal cyclization and forms the needed ring
* and finally (not shown in the above diagram) a second Wolff-Kishner or Clemmensen reduction of the resultant tetralone to produce the desired tetralin


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