“…[4] In this regard, a-arylcyclobutanones are particularly useful owing to their predictable pattern of fragmentation, [5] and can be accessed using the strategies highlighted in Scheme 1. Thus,d espite key advances reported by the groups of Buchwald, [10] Hartwig, [11] Miura, [12] Colacot, [13] and others [14,15] in the a-arylation of acyclic ketones as well as cyclopentanones, [10c, 14a,c] cyclohexanones, [10a,c, 11b,14a,b,c] and cycloheptanones, [10c] the a-arylation of cyclobutanones is without precedent. Thus,d espite key advances reported by the groups of Buchwald, [10] Hartwig, [11] Miura, [12] Colacot, [13] and others [14,15] in the a-arylation of acyclic ketones as well as cyclopentanones, [10c, 14a,c] cyclohexanones, [10a,c, 11b,14a,b,c] and cycloheptanones, [10c] the a-arylation of cyclobutanones is without precedent.…”