Electrochemically enhanced deoxygenative cross-coupling of aryl ketones with heteroarenes through in situ generated benzyl carbocations.

Triflic acids/silanes as cooperative reductants enable the convenient transformation of CO bonds through a multistep reaction pathway in one pot. Electrolysis of the acidic reaction mixture significantly improved carbonyl reduction and thus facilitated the generation of benzyl carbocations, which show high reactivity towards electron-rich heteroarenes for C-C bond formation.