Trifluoro analog of Hagemann’s ester: access to angularly CF3-substituted heterobicyclic compounds

The selective reduction of the trifluoro analog of the Hagemann’s ester 1 provided corresponding cyclohexenols, which underwent a Johnson–Claisen rearrangement leading to diesters 3. These latter are precursors of tetrahydroisochromanes 5 and octahydroisoquinoline 7a bearing an angular trifluoromethyl substituent.