Abstract Pyruvic acid (3) was found to be arylated chemoselectively at the a-ketocarbonyl carbon in P2O5-MsOH affording decarbonylative α, α-diarylated products 5, decarbonylative a-monoarylated compounds 6, or non-decarbonylative α, α-diarylated adducts 7 depending on the reactivity of arenes (4a-g), in contrast to Lewis acid-catalyzed reaction of its acid chloride (2).
