Ni-catalyzed mild arylation of alpha-halocarbonyl compounds with arylboronic acids.

A simple yet powerful Ni catalyst can be used to promote direct arylations of alpha-halocarbonyl compounds, including a range of esters, amides, and ketones, with various arylboronic acids under mild conditions. The method tolerates beta-hydrogens and functional groups in the substrates and offers reactivity and selectivity profiles that are complementary to those found in the well-established Buchwald-Hartwig approach.