4-Hydroxyacetophenone already contains much of acetaminophen’s framework: the aromatic ring, the para-hydroxyl group, and the two-carbon acetyl fragment. Chemists can convert the ketone to an oxime and then use a Beckmann rearrangement to reorganize the atoms into the amide structure of acetaminophen.
Industrial patents have explored this ketone → oxime → acetaminophen route, showing a classic lesson in synthesis: sometimes most of the atoms are already present—the key is reconnecting them.
Global Chemical Database