Alcohol assisted C–C bond breaking: copper-catalyzed deacetylative α-arylation of β-keto esters and amides

Abstract

A method of alcohol-assisted copper-catalyzed highly selective deacetylative α-arylation of β-keto esters and amides has been demonstrated, which illustrated an efficient example of achieving α-aryl esters and amides. From the synthetic point of view, this arylation protocol is general and practical, representing a simple way to produce α-arylated carbonyl compounds from basic starting materials at low cost.