Nickel-catalysed highly regioselective synthesis of β-acyl naphthalenes under reductive conditions

Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the direct C-H acylation of naphthalenes, occurring at the alpha or beta-positions to yield valuable ketones through Friedel-Crafts acylation or transition-metal-catalysed carbonylative coupling reactions. Nevertheless, highly regioselective acylation of naphthalenes remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we developed a nickel-catalysed reductive ring-opening reaction of 7-oxabenzonorbornadienes with acyl chlorides as the electrophilic coupling partner, providing a new method for the exclusive preparation of beta-acyl naphthalenes. A nickel-catalysed reductive ring-opening reaction of 7-oxabenzonorbornadienes with acyl chlorides as the electrophilic coupling partner was developed, generating beta-acyl naphthalene as the unique product without any alpha iso.