Fluoride-Catalyzed Arylation of α-(Trifluoromethyl)styrene Derivatives with Silicon-Masked, Functionalized Aryl Pronucleophiles

Org Lett. 2023 Aug 4;25(30):5636-5640. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02021. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

Abstract

An operationally simple transition-metal-free protocol for the arylation of α-(trifluoromethyl)styrene derivatives with silicon-protected functionalized aryl pronucleophiles is disclosed. Catalytic amounts of an anionic Lewis base such as fluoride trigger the release of the aryl nucleophile from N-aryl-N'-silyldiazenes by desilylation along with denitrogenation. The thus-generated carbon nucleophiles engage in an allylic displacement with α-(trifluoromethyl)styrene electrophiles to afford the corresponding geminal difluoroalkenes.