Palladium-catalyzed addition of potassium aryltrifluoroborates to aliphatic nitriles: synthesis of alkyl aryl ketones, diketone compounds, and 2-arylbenzo[b]furans.

A palladium-catalyzed addition of potassium aryltrifluoroborates to aliphatic nitriles has been developed, leading to a wide range of alkyl aryl ketones with moderate to excellent yields. Moreover, several dinitriles (e.g., malononitrile, glutaronitrile, and adiponitrile) were applicable to this process for the construction of 1,3-, 1,5-, or 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds. The scope of the developed approach is successfully explored toward the one-step synthesis of 2-arylbenzo[b]furans via sequential addition and intramolecular annulation reactions. The methodology accepted a wide range of substrates and is applicable to library synthesis.