Dual Photoredox and Nickel Catalysis in Regioselective Diacylation: Exploring the Versatility of Nickel Oxidation States in Allene Activation

Abstract

We present a nickel-catalyzed regioselective radical diacylation of allenes with ketoacids to produce 1,4-dione products by dual photoredox and nickel catalysis. This integrated approach merges redox-active oxidative addition and reductive elimination steps with migratory insertion. The acyl radical generated in the photoredox cycle sequentially adds to Ni(I) and Ni(II) intermediates following a Ni(I)-Ni(II)-Ni(II)-Ni(III)-Ni(I) catalytic cycle. This methodology, supported by DFT calculations, demonstrates the potential of nickel catalysis in the creation of complex molecular architectures.