From acetone metalation to the catalytic α-arylation of acyclic ketones with NHC-nickel(Ⅱ) complexes

摘要

Air-stable N-heterocyclic carbene-nickel(Ⅱ) complexes at concentrations as low as 1 mol％ exhibit high catalytic activity for the α-arylation of acyclic ketones and join a highly restricted list of nickel catalysts for this key reaction. Mechanistic investigations suggest a radical pathway.