Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.140, No.2, 586-589, 2018
Directed Decarbonylation of Unstrained Aryl Ketones via Nickel-Catalyzed C-C Bond Cleavage
The nickel-catalyzed decarbonylation of unstrained diaryl ketones has been developed. The reaction is catalyzed by a combination of Ni(cod)(2) and an electron-rich N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. High functional group tolerance and excellent yields (up to 98%) are observed. This strategy provides an alternative and versatile approach to construct biaryls using an inexpensive nickel catalyst.