From Olefination to Alkylation: In-Situ Halogenation of Julia-Kocienski Intermediates Leading to Formal Nucleophilic Iodo- and Bromodifluoromethylation of Carbonyl Compounds

Iodo- and bromodifluoromethylated compounds are important synthetic intermediates and halogen-bond acceptors. However, direct introduction of -CF2I and -CF2Br groups through nucleophilic addition is particularly challenging because of the high tendency of decomposition of CF2Br- and CF2I- to difluorocarbene. In this work, we have developed a formal nucleophilic iodo- and bromodifluoromethylation for carbonyl compounds. The key strategy of the method is the halogenation of in situ-generated sulfinate intermediates from the Julia-Kocienski reaction to change the reaction pathway from the traditional olefination to alkylation. Interesting halogen-pi interactions between the halocarbon and aromatic donors were observed in the crystal structures of the products. The method could also be extended to the introduction of other fluorinated groups, such as -CFClBr, -CFClI, -CFBr2, and -CFMeI, which opens up new avenues for the synthesis of a wide range of useful fluorinated products.