Copper electron-transfer induced trifluoromethylation with methyl fluorosulphonyldifluoroacetate

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-1139(00)82357-X

Treatment of halogen compounds, RX, with methyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate and copper powder in dimethylformamide for 4 h at 65 - 80 deg C resulted in the corresponding trifluoromethylated products, RCF3, in good yield.In the absence of halogen compounds and at 100 deg C, methyl triflone (CF3SO2CH3) was synthesized readily in the 20 - 30percent yield from the same reaction system.The fact that the reaction was suppressed by oxygen, p-dinitrobenzene or in the darkness suggested that a copper-induced electron-transfer process was involved in this new trifluoromethylating system.