The construction of an aryl ketone structural unit by means of catalytic carbon–carbon coupling reactions represents the state-of-the-art in organic chemistry. Herein we achieved the direct deoxygenative ketone synthesis in aqueous solution from readily available aromatic carboxylic acids and alkenes, affording structurally diverse ketones in moderate to good yields. Visible-light photoredox catalysis enables the direct deoxygenation of acids as acyl sources with triphenylphosphine and represents a distinct perspective on activation. The synthetic robustness is supported by the late-stage modification of several pharmaceutical compounds and complex molecules. This ketone synthetic strategy is further applied to the synthesis of the drug zolpidem in three steps with 50% total yield and a concise construction of cyclophane-braced 18–20 membered macrocycloketones. It represents not only the advancement for the streamlined synthesis of aromatic ketones from feedstock chemicals, but also a photoredox radical activation mode beyond the redox potential of carboxylic acids.

We report a general, practical, and scalable means of preparing deuterated aldehydes from aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids with D2O as an inexpensive deuterium source. The use of Ph3P as an O‐atom transfer reagent can facilitate the deoxygenation of aromatic acids, while Ph2POEt is a better O‐atom transfer reagent for aliphatic acids. The highly precise deoxygenation of complex carboxylic acids makes this protocol promising for late‐stage deoxygenative deuteration of natural product derivatives and pharmaceutical compounds.

The novel cascade photoredox/iodide catalytic system enables the alkene to serve as a radical acceptor capable of achieving aminodifluoroalkylation of alkenes. Cheap iodide salts play a vital role in this reaction, which could tune carbocation reactivity through reversible C-I bond formation for controlling reaction selectivity, and a series of competitive reactions are completely eliminated in the presence of multiple reactivity pathways. The present dual catalytic protocol affords a very convenient method for direct synthesis of various difluoro-γ-lactams from simple and readily available starting materials under mild reaction conditions.

An unprecedented deoxygenative arylationo f aromatic carboxylic acids has been achieved, allowing the construction of an enhanced libraryo fu nsymmetrical diaryl ketones.T he synergistic photoredox catalysis and phosphoranyl radical chemistrya llows for precise cleavage of as tronger CÀOb ond and formation of aw eaker CÀC bond by 1,5-arylm igrationu nder mild reaction conditions. This new protocol is independent of substrate redox-potential,e lectronic, and substituent effects. It affords ag eneral and promising access to 60 examples of synthetically versatile o-amino and o-hydroxyd iaryl ketones under redox-neutral conditions. Furthermore,i ta lso brings one conciser oute to the total synthesis of quinolone alkaloid, (AE)-yaequinolone A2, and av iridicatin derivative in satisfying yields.

The direct decarboxylative allylation of N-arylglycine derivatives has been accomplished via visible-light photoredox catalysis.