Base-Mediated α- gem-Difluoroalkenylations of Aldehydes and Ketones

Org Lett. 2023 Sep 15;25(36):6784-6789. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02845. Epub 2023 Sep 6.

Abstract

Herein, we present a base-mediated nucleophilic substitution reaction of α-trifluoromethylstyrenes with simple silyl enol ethers, enabling the efficient synthesis of carbonyl-substituted gem-difluoroalkenes. The merit of this protocol is exhibited by its mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, and scalable preparation. Notably, this method demonstrates its applicability for late-stage functionalization of structurally complex molecules. Moreover, we illustrate that the resulting products can serve as valuable precursors for the synthesis of diverse medicinally relevant compounds.