room temperature, with potassium acetoneenolate to give good yields of 1-aryl-2-propanones via spontaneous SRN1 dark reactions, α-Phenylation of pinacolone and acetophenone enolates by 1a likewise occurs in excellent yields. In agreement with the involvement of an electron-transfer catalyzed chain process, the reaction of the 4-bromo derivative 1n with pinacolone enolate gives mainly the bis-substitution