Visible Light‐Induced Ni‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling of Aryl Halides with Carboxylic Acids: Synthesis of Aryl Esters and Phenols

Herein, we report a visible light‐induced Ni‐catalyzed C aryl– O acyl cross‐coupling of various aryl halides and carboxylic acids in the absence of exogenousphotosensitizer. This method features mild conditions, easy manipulation, and excellent functional group tolerance. Furthermore, aryl chlorides simultaneously serve as excellent coupling partners, which was a key challenge in previous studies. The late‐stage functionalization of natural products and gram‐scale synthesis further elucidate the promising application potential of this methodology. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that this transformation may involve a light‐induced Ni(0)/Ni(II) catalytic cycle. This protocol paves the way for the synthesis of C–O bonds using bench‐stable, readily accessible aryl halides and carboxylic acids.