Nickel-Catalyzed Intermolecular Insertion of Aryl Iodides to Nitriles: A Novel Method to Synthesize Arylketones

A novel procedure for the NiCl(2)(DME)/dppp/Zn system catalyzed intermolecular insertion of aryl iodides to nitriles was developed, which afforded variously substituted arylketone derivatives in moderate to good yields with tolerance of a wide variety of functional groups.