Reversed-Polarity Synthesis of Diaryl Ketones via Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Acylsilanes

Acylsilanes serve as acyl anion equivalents in a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction with aryl bromides to give unsymmetrical diaryl ketones. Water plays a unique and crucial activating role in these reactions. High-throughput experimentation techniques provided successful reaction conditions initially involving phosphites as ligands. Ultimately, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-6-phenyl-2,4,8-trioxa-6-phosphaadamantane was identified as giving a longer-lived catalyst with higher turnover numbers. Its use, in conjunction with a palladacycle precatalyst, led to optimal reaction rates and yields. Scope and limitations of this novel method are presented along with initial mechanistic insight.