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.