Ligand-Promoted Alkynylation of Aryl Ketones: A Practical Tool for Structural Diversity in Drugs and Natural Products

Abstract

Conversion of the numerous aryl ketones into aryl electrophiles via Ar–C(O) cleavage remains a challenging yet highly desirable transformation in Sonogashira-type coupling. Herein, we report a palladium-catalyzed ligand-promoted alkynylation of unstrained aryl ketones. The protocol allows the alkynylation to be carried out in a one-pot procedure with broad functional-group tolerance and substrate scope. The potential applications of this protocol in drug discovery and chemical biology are further demonstrated by late-stage diversification of a number of pharmaceuticals and natural products. More importantly, two different biologically important fragments derived from a pharmaceutical and natural product could be connected by the consecutive alkynylation of ketones. Distinct from aryl halides in conventional Sonogashira reactions, the protocol provides a practical tool for the 1,2-bifunctionalization of aryl ketone by merging ketone-directed ortho-C–H activation with ligand-promoted ipso-Ar–C(O) alkynylation.