Figure 5: Mechanistic investigation.
From: A practical and catalyst-free trifluoroethylation reaction of amines using trifluoroacetic acid
(a) Trifluoroethylation does not occur via an amide intermediate. (b) Acid stoichiometry controls product distribution. (c) Product distribution varies as a function of acid pKa/electrophilicity. (d) 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) experiments demonstrate the rapid generation of silyl esters followed by partial reduction to silyl acetal species. (e) Competition experiment with benzoic acid.
