Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of Aryl Ketones from Arylsulfonium Salts and Nitriles

A useful method for the preparation of aryl ketones from arylsulfonium salts and nitriles via nickel catalysis is described. The reaction proceeds smoothly under mild conditions and exhibits obvious advantages, such as high efficiency, good functional group tolerance, excellent chemoselectivity, and the ability to acylate complex drug molecules. This protocol provides a practical synthetic route for a wide variety of aryl ketones and enables the selective coupling of arylsulfonium salts retaining other functionalizable handles. Additionally, the easily available deuterated acetonitrile can be used as the nitrile source, which allows for deuteration with good yields and deuterium content up to 99%, permitting an effective deuterium labeling of various complex drug molecules.