Ketones from Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative, Non‐Symmetric Cross‐Electrophile Coupling of Carboxylic Acid Esters

Synthesis of the C−C bonds of ketones relies upon one high‐availability reagent (carboxylic acids) and one low‐availability reagent (organometallic reagents or alkyl iodides). We demonstrate here a ketone synthesis that couples two different carboxylic acid esters, N ‐hydroxyphthalimide esters and S ‐2‐pyridyl thioesters, to form aryl alkyl and dialkyl ketones in high yields. The keys to this approach are the use of a nickel catalyst with an electron‐poor bipyridine or terpyridine ligand, a THF/DMA mixed solvent system, and ZnCl 2 to enhance the reactivity of the NHP ester. The resulting reaction can be used to form ketones that have previously been difficult to access, such as hindered tertiary/tertiary ketones with strained rings and ketones with α‐heteroatoms. The conditions can be employed in the coupling of complex fragments, including a 20‐mer peptide fragment analog of Exendin(9–39) on solid support.