The synthesis of small organic molecules with a difluoromethylated stereocenter is particularly attractive in drug discovery. Herein, we have developed an efficient method for the direct generation of difluoromethylated stereocenters through Ni0 -catalyzed regio- and enantioselective hydrosilylation of gem-difluoroalkenes. The reaction also represents the enantioselective construction of carbon(sp3 )-silicon bonds with nickel catalysis, which provides an atom- and step-economical synthesis route of high-value optically active α-difluoromethylsilanes. This protocol features readily available starting materials and commercial chiral catalysis, broad substrates spanning a range of functional groups with high yield (up to 99 % yield) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96 % ee). The enantioenriched products undergo a variety of stereospecific transformations. Preliminary mechanistic studies were performed.
Keywords: Enantioselectivity; Hydrosilylation; Nickel; gem-Difluoroalkenes; α-Difluoromethylsilanes.
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