Electrochemical Synthesis of β-Keto Sulfonyl Fluorides via Radical Fluorosulfonylation of Vinyl Triflates

Electrochemical synthesis of versatile beta-keto sulfonyl fluorides is accomplished by radical fluorosulfonylation of vinyl triflates with FSO2Cl as the fluorosulfonyl radical source. This electroreductive protocol uses inexpensive graphite felt as electrodes, thus avoiding the use of a sacrificial anode. Moreover, this protocol, featuring metal-free, mild conditions and easy scalability, allows expedient access to valuable beta-keto sulfonyl fluorides from readily available precursors, as well as the cyclic ones that are otherwise inaccessible using prior methods.

Automated summary

Versatile beta-keto sulfonyl fluorides can be synthesized by electrochemical methods using inexpensive graphite felt as electrodes, without the need for metal catalysts. This protocol offers a mild and scalable approach to access valuable compounds from readily available precursors, including cyclic ones that were previously difficult to obtain.