γ-Difluoroalkylation: Synthesis of γ-Difluoroalkyl-α,β-Unsaturated Esters via Photoredox NHC-Catalyzed Radical Reaction

Org Lett. 2020 Oct 16;22(20):8173-8177. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c03208. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Abstract

By the cooperative photoredox and N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, the γ-difluoroalkylation of γ-preoxidized enals was developed for the synthesis of γ-difluoroalkyl-α,β-unsaturated esters with all-carbon quaternary centers. This method provides efficient catalytic C(sp3)-CF2R bond formation at the γ-position of carbonyl compounds for the first time.