Difluoromethyl 2-Pyridyl Sulfone: A New gem-Difluoroolefination Reagent for Aldehydes and Ketones

Difluoromethyl 2-pyridyl sulfone, a previously unknown compound, was found to act as a novel and efficient gem-difluoroolefination reagent for both aldehydes and ketones. It was found that the fluorinated sulfinate intermediate in the reaction is relatively stable, which can be observed by F-19 NMR and trapped with CH3I.