In the title compound, C28H24O4, the benzoyl groups at the 1- and 8-positions of the naphthalene ring system are aligned almost anti­parallel, and the benzene rings make a dihedral angle of 20.03 (7)°. The dihedral angles between the benzene rings and the naphthalene ring system are 68.42 (5) and 71.69 (5)°. In the crystal, adjacent mol­ecules are linked via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along [100].

In the title mol­ecule, C23H18O3, the dihedral angle between the two naphthalene ring systems is 80.44 (4)°. The mean plane of the bridging carbonyl C—C(=O)—C group makes a torsion angle of −68.55 (17)° with the naphthalene system of the 2,7-dimeth­oxy­naphthalene unit and a torsion angle of −9.01 (19)° with the naphthalene ring system of the naphthoyl group. In the crystal, a weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs between the carbonyl O atom and an H atom of the naphthalene ring in the 2,7-dimeth­oxy­naphthalene unit of a symmetry-related mol­ecule.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C23H18O3, contains two independent mol­ecules (A and B). Each mol­ecule has essentially the same conformation (r.m.s. deviation of fitted mol­ecules = 0.173 Å) with the aromatic rings twisted in a near perpendicular manner. The dihedral angles between the two naphthalene ring systems are 79.07 (4) and 88.19 (4)° in the two independent mol­ecules. In the crystal, the A mol­ecules are connected by C—H⋯O inter­actions, forming chains along the b-axis direction. Further C—H⋯O inter­actions between the H atoms of the meth­oxy group and the O atoms of the carbonyl units link the A and B mol­ecules, forming a three-dimensional network.