Palladium-phosphinous acid-catalyzed cross-coupling of aliphatic and aromatic acyl chlorides with boronic acids

The cross-coupling of aromatic and aliphatic acyl chlorides with arylboronic acids in the presence of 2.5 mol % of (t-Bu2POH)2PdCl2 (POPd) provides rapid access to ketones that are obtained in up to 93% yield. This palladium-phosphinous acid-catalyzed reaction is completed within 10 min when microwave irradiation is used, and it overcomes typical drawbacks of Friedel–Crafts acylation procedures such as harsh reaction conditions, untunable regiocontrol, and low substrate scope.