Synthetically important 3-aryl substituted cyclohexenones or 1,5-diketones were prepared from arylketones and allyl alcohols using a palladium-BINOL phosphoric acid system.

One‐pot synthesis of α‐methyl ketones starting from 1,3‐diaryl propenols or 1‐aryl propenols and methanol as a C1 source is demonstrated. This one‐pot isomerization‐methylation is catalyzed by commercially available Pd(OAc)2 with H2O as the only by‐product. Mechanistic studies and deuterium labelling experiments indicate the involvement of isomerization of allyl alcohol followed by methylation through a hydrogen‐borrowing pathway in these isomerization‐methylation reactions.

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