Olefination via Cu-Mediated Dehydroacylation of Unstrained Ketones

The dehydroacylation of ketones to olefins is realized under mild conditions, which exhibits a unique reaction pathway involving aromatization-driven C–C cleavage to remove the acyl moiety, followed by Cu-mediated oxidative elimination to form an alkene between the α and β carbons. The newly-adopted N’-methylpicolinohydrazonamide (MPHA) reagent is key to enable efficient cleavage of ketone C–C bonds at room temperature. Diverse alkyl- and aryl-substituted olefins, dienes, and special alkenes are generated with broad functional group tolerance. Strategic applications of this method are also demonstrated.