Extrusion of CO from aryl ketones: rhodium(I)-catalyzed C-C bond cleavage directed by a pyridine group.

Snipping tool: the rhodium(I)-catalyzed extrusion of carbon monoxide from biaryl ketones and alkyl/alkenyl aryl ketones was developed to produce biaryls and alkyl/alkenyl arenes, respectively, in high yields. A wide range of functionalities are tolerated. Not only does this method provide an alternative pathway to construct useful scaffolds, but also offers a new strategy for C-C bond activation.