Cross-ketone deacylative coupling via oxidative SH2 homolytic substitution

The α-C–C cleavage of ketones provides a versatile route for C–C bond formation but remains challenging, particularly for selective cross-coupling between distinct ketones. Here the authors report a nickel- and photocatalysis-enabled deacylative coupling via bimolecular homolytic substitution to forge diverse C(sp³)–C(sp³) bonds.