•Palladium catalyzed Nigishi-type α-arylation of α-fluoroketones with a broad range of aryl halides or phenyl triflate.•Pd(OAc)2 as catalyst, Xphos as ligand and Cs2CO3 as mild base play the important role.•The desired monoarylated α-fluoroketones were obtained in good yields.•A practical synthetic strategy to potentially bioactive fluorocarbonyl compounds.A palladium catalyzed Negishi-type α-arylation of α-fluoroketones with electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl halides or phenyl triflate has been developed. This direct mono-α-arylation method generate a variety of ternary α-aryl-α-monofluoroketones easily in good to excellent yields using XPhos as ligand and Cs2CO3 as mild base.

A Rh(III)- or Ir(III)-catalyzed direct aldehyde C–H alkynylation was developed for the first time as a simple and practical method for the synthesis of ynones. This catalytic reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions and tolerates a variety of synthetically important functional groups (e.g., chloro, bromo, aldehyde), thus providing a good complement to previous methods.

A Rh(III)- or Ir(III)-catalyzed direct aldehyde C–H alkynylation was developed for the first time as a simple and practical method for the synthesis of ynones. This catalytic reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions and tolerates a variety of synthetically important functional groups (e.g., chloro, bromo, aldehyde), thus providing a good complement to previous methods.