Molecular Iodine as a Catalyst for Alkene Difluorination

J Org Chem. 2024 Apr 19;89(8):5896-5900. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.4c00179. Epub 2024 Apr 9.

Abstract

The difluorination reaction of alkenes catalyzed by molecular iodine was revealed for the first time. This difluorination reaction affords a simple and practical experimental method and can be applied to many aliphatic and aromatic alkenes bearing synthetically useful functional groups, such as ester, amide, hydroxy, and aryl groups. Preliminary mechanistic studies of this alkene difluorination suggest the existence of two catalytic cycles: the IF-driven cycle and the catalytic cycle by the IF adduct.