Preparation of substituted aromatic compounds

A process for preparing compounds of the formula (II), where the substituents R1 to R5 are each independently H, CH3, straight-chain or branched C1-C8-alkyl, CH(OC1-C5-alkyl)2, CH(C1-C5-alkyl)(OC1-C5-alkyl), CH2(OC1-C5-alkyl), CH(CH3)(OC1-C5-alkyl), C1-C8-alkoxy, N(C1-C5-alkyl)2, phenyl, substituted phenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, S(C1-C5-alkyl) or a radical Caryl, alkyl, and the symbols X1 to 5 are each carbon or a maximum of two neighboring X1-5 are nitrogen or X1R1 and X2R2 together are O, NH, N(C1-C5-alkyl), N(C-O-C1-C5-alkyl), N(SiR3)2 or S, or where neighboring radicals R1 to R5 form the following structural unit, where X6 to X9 and R6 to R9 have the same meaning as X1 to X5 and R1 to R5 which comprises reacting chloro- or fluoroaromatics of the formula (I) with carbon electrophiles and lithium metal.