Ag(I)-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond formation between a ketone and an allylic C-H bond

We report a silver-catalyzed cyclization of 1-(2,2-dimethylcyclopropyl)methyl ketones to give 1,2,4-trisubstituted benzenes. These reactions comprise an initial cyclopropane cleavage, followed by an aromatization of the resulting 4-en-1-one intermediate. The latter represents an unusual silver-catalyzed addition of a ketone to an allylic C-H bond via a non-carbonyl ene reaction.