Hypervalent Iodine-Mediated Fluorination of Styrene Derivatives: Stoichiometric and Catalytic Transformation to 2,2-Difluoroethylarenes

Fluorination of styrene derivatives with a reagent system composed of mu-oxo-bis[trifluoroacetato(phenyl)iodine] and a pyridine.HF complex gave the corresponding (2,2-difluoroethyl)arenes in good yields. Similarly, the reagent of PhI(OCOCF3)(2) and the pyridine.HF complex acted as a fluorinating agent for styrene derivatives. The fluorination of styrene derivatives with the pyridine. HF complex underwent under catalytic conditions using 4-iodotoluene as a catalyst and m-CPBA as a terminal oxidant.