A method comprising the steps of: (a) providing salicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof of the formula wherein at least one of R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 is -H, and the remainder are each independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, -NO 2, -CN, -Si(R y) 3, -SR y, -S R y, -S 2 R y, -NR y C R y, -OC R y, -CO 2 R y, -NCO, -N 3, -OR y, -OC N(R y) 2, -N(R y) 2, -NR y C R y, -NR y C OR y; or an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consisting of C 1-20 aliphatic; C 1-20 heteroaliphatic; phenyl; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic carbocycle, a 7-14 carbon saturated, partially unsaturated or aromatic polycyclic carbocycle; a 5- to 6-membered monocyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated heterocyclic ring having 1-3 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 6- to 12-membered polycyclic saturated or partially unsaturated heterocycle having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; or an 8- to 10-membered bicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; where each occurrence of R y is independently -H, or an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consisting of C 1 - 6 aliphatic, 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic, phenyl, and 8- to 10-membered aryl, and where two or more adjacent R y groups can be taken together to form an optionally substituted saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic 5- to 12-membered ring containing 0 to 4 heteroatoms; b) forming an anhydro dimer of the provided salicylaldehyde compound, and c) performing one or more chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer, wherein the step of performing one or more chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer comprises: (i) a carbon-carbon bond forming reaction; (ii) a carbon-heteroatom bond forming reaction selected from halogenation, oxidation, silylation, metalation; or (iii) one or more chemical reactions to manipulate functional groups already present on the dimer; wherein the one or more chemical reactions are selected from reductions, oxidations, additions, protections, cycloadditions, aminations, decarboxylation, halogenations, transition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond couplings, click reactions, or ring-closing metathesis reactions; and d) hydrolyzing the anhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different from that provided in step a). (a) providing salicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof of the formula wherein at least one of R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 is -H, and the remainder are each independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, -NO 2, -CN, -Si(R y) 3, -SR y, -S R y, -S 2 R y, -NR y C R y, -OC R y, -CO 2 R y, -NCO, -N 3, -OR y, -OC N(R y) 2, -N(R y) 2, -NR y C R y, -NR y C OR y; or an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consisting of C 1-20 aliphatic; C 1-20 heteroaliphatic; phenyl; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic carbocycle, a 7-14 carbon saturated, partially unsaturated or aromatic polycyclic carbocycle; a 5- to 6-membered monocyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated heterocyclic ring having 1-3 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 6- to 12-membered polycyclic saturated or partially unsaturated heterocycle having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; or an 8- to 10-membered bicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; where each occurrence of R y is independently -H, or an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consisting of C 1 - 6 aliphatic, 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic, phenyl, and 8- to 10-membered aryl, and where two or more adjacent R y groups can be taken together to form an optionally substituted saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic 5- to 12-membered ring containing 0 to 4 heteroatoms; b) forming an anhydro dimer of the provided salicylaldehyde compound, and c) performing one or more chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer, wherein the step of performing one or more chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer comprises: (i) a carbon-carbon bond forming reaction; (ii) a carbon-heteroatom bond forming reaction selected from halogenation, oxidation, silylation, metalation; or (iii) one or more chemical reactions to manipulate functional groups already present on the dimer; wherein the one or more chemical reactions are selected from reductions, oxidations, additions, protections, cycloadditions, aminations, decarboxylation, halogenations, transition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond couplings, click reactions, or ring-closing metathesis reactions; and (i) a carbon-carbon bond forming reaction; (ii) a carbon-heteroatom bond forming reaction selected from halogenation, oxidation, silylation, metalation; or (iii) one or more chemical reactions to manipulate functional groups already present on the dimer; wherein the one or more chemical reactions are selected from reductions, oxidations, additions, protections, cycloadditions, aminations, decarboxylation, halogenations, transition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond couplings, click reactions, or ring-closing metathesis reactions; and d) hydrolyzing the anhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different from that provided in step a).