Nickel-catalyzed aromatic C-H alkylation with secondary or tertiary alkyl-bromine bonds for the construction of indolones.

A nickel-catalyzed aromatic C-H alkylation with tertiary or secondary alkyl-Br bonds for the construction of indolones was demonstrated. Various functional groups were well tolerated. Moreover, the challenging secondary alkyl bromides were well introduced in this transformation. Radical trapping and photocatalysis conditions exhibited that it is most likely to be a radical process for this aromatic C-H alkylation.