Reductive Electrophotocatalytic α-C-H Arylation of Cyclic Ketones with Aryl Chlorides

alpha-Aryl cyclocarbonyls are important building blocks in organic synthesis. While many methods have been developed for their synthesis, the use of readily available and inexpensive aryl chlorides as the arylating reagent remains rare. Herein, we report an alpha-arylation of cyclic ketones with aryl chlorides under reductive electrophotocatalytic conditions. 2,6-Diisopropylphenyl-containing naphthalenemonoimide was identified as the optimal electrophotocatalyst, allowing for use of electron-deficient as well as electron-rich aryl chlorides under mild conditions. A transition metal-free approach for alpha-arylation of cyclic ketones using readily available and inexpensive aryl chlorides as the arylating reagent is achieved under electrophotocatalysis. image