Catalytic thiolation and azidation of a single C-F bond of trifluoromethylarenes were achieved assisted by an ortho-silyl group with all-in-one reagents to generate a trityl cation and nucleophiles. The reactions catalyzed by ytterbium triflate efficiently afforded a wide variety of difluoromethylenes avoiding the further C-F bond cleavage, by virtue of the mild conditions without the generation of a Brønsted acid.
Keywords: C−F activation; Lewis acid; azides; fluorine; sulfides.
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