Herein, we report a ligand-controlled palladiumcatalyzed method that enables the synthesis of ynones and γbutenolides with excellent regioselectivity from the same set of readily available aryl iodides, aryl acetylenes, and BrCF 2 CO 2 K. In this reaction, the [Pd II ]�CF 2 does demonstrate electrophilicity and can generate CO readily when reacting with H 2 O. It is environmentally friendly and safe compared to traditional methods, and the current protocol enables us to afford ynones and γbutenolides in high yields with excellent functionality tolerance. Moreover, esters can also be obtained with corresponding phenols and alcohols utilizing this strategy. The success of late-stage functionalization of bioactive compounds further illustrates the synthetic utility of this protocol in material development and drug discovery.