Synergistic Photoredox/Nickel Coupling of Acyl Chlorides with Secondary Alkyltrifluoroborates: Dialkyl Ketone Synthesis.

Visible light photoredox/nickel dual catalysis has been employed in the cross-coupling of acyl chlorides with potassium alkyltrifluoroborates. This protocol, based on single-electron-mediated alkyl transfer, circumvents the restriction of using reactive alkylmetallic nucleophiles in transition-metal-catalyzed acylation and achieves a mild and efficient method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical alkyl ketones. In this approach, a variety of acyl chlorides have been successfully coupled with structurally diverse potassium alkyltrifluoroborates, generating the corresponding ketones with good yields.