A photocatalyst and diselenide co-catalyzed hydroazolation of gem-difluoroalkenes avoids C–F bond cleavage to deliver N-α,α-difluoroalkyl azoles, thus offering convergent access to a medicinally and agriculturally-relevant substructure.
A method for the construction of 2-fluoropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridines through base-promoted [3+2] cycloaddition of N-aminopyridinium salts with gem-difluorostyrenes has been established.
A direct electrolysis protocol for difluorination and azo-fluorination of gem-difluorostyrenes was achieved involving Et3N·3HF as fluorine source. The electrochemical reduction of the benzyl C–F bond was also achieved.
Pd/Cu co-catalyze a chloro-arylation reaction of gem-difluorostyrenes with aryl sulfonyl chlorides. In this reaction the use of a nitrite additive avoids a kinetically favorable β-F elimination process.
A novel fluoroarylation of gem-difluorostyrenes with AgF and (hetero)arenes through a Pd(II)-catalysed C(aryl)–H activation cascade was developed, constituting an efficient method to access CF3-substituted fluorenes and 1,1-diarylmethanes.