Cyanofluorination of vinyl ethers enabled by electron donor-acceptor complexes

An efficient and mild three-component cyanofluorination of vinyl ethers with Selectfluor and TMSCN is described. The reaction protocol is operationally simple, allowing the access to various alpha-alkoxy-beta-fluoronitriles bearing quaternary alpha-carbons in good to excellent yields. The mechanistic studies indicated that the formation of an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) aggregate and a subsequent single electron transfer (SET) process might be involved in the reaction.