<p>Hydroformylation, a reaction which installs both a C–H
bond and an aldehyde group across an unsaturated substrate, is one of the most
important catalytic reactions both in industry and academia. Given the synthetic importance of creating new C–C bonds, and the
widespread academic and industrial impact of <i>hydroformylation</i>, the development of <i>carboformylation</i> reactions, wherein a new C–C bond is formed
instead of a C–H bond, would bear enormous synthetic potential to rapidly increase molecular
complexity in the synthesis of valuable aldehydes. However, the demanding
complexity inherent in a four-component reaction, utilizing an exogenous CO
source, has made the development of a direct carboformylation reaction a formidable
challenge. Here, we describe a molecular shuffling strategy featuring the use
of readily available aroyl chlorides as a carbon electrophile and CO source, in
tandem with a sterically congested hydrosilane, to perform a stereoselective
carboformylation of alkynes under palladium catalysis. An extension of this
protocol to four chemodivergent carbonylations further
highlights the creative opportunity offered by this molecular shuffling strategy in
carbonylation chemistry.</p>