Alkyl- and arylmanganese reagents react with o-chloro or o-bromoaryl ketones to give the substituted ketones in high yields. The cross-coupling reaction is performed under mild conditions (−60 to +40 °C, 30 min to 4 h) and takes place with excellent chemoselectivity. ... The first preliminary experiments were quite encouraging since in THF at 0 °C, phenylmagnesium chloride quickly reacts with o-chlorovalerophenone or o-chlorobenzophenone to lead to the ...
