Nucleophilic (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethylation of alkyl halides using PhSO2CF2SiMe3: preparation of gem-difluoroalkenes and trifluoromethyl compounds

Nucleophilic (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethylation of both alkyl iodides and bromides was successfully accomplished by using CsF/15-crown-5 as an initiating system in DME, and the amount of 15-crown-5 was found to be critical to the yield of the product. The prepared (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethylated alkanes were converted into gem-difluoroalkenes by a base-mediated 1,2-elimination reaction, and the latter species could be further transformed into trifluoromethyl compounds in the presence of KF/18-crown-6 or TBAF.