Fig. 1: Cross-coupling approaches toward gem-difluoroenol ethers and gem-difluoroalkenes synthesis.
a Selected example of bioactive gem-difluoroenol ethers and gem-difluoroalkenes. b Conventional synthetic approaches for gem-difluoroenol ethers and gem-difluoroalkenes synthesis rely on Ī²-fluoride elimination and base elimination as key steps; this approach demands tedious preparation of the trifluoromethyl-substituted precursors. c This work presents a convenient synthesis of 2,2-difluorovinyl benzoates (BzO-DFs) by simple zinc reduction of abundant bromodifluoroacetates and bromodifluoroketones; the BzO-DFs serve as versatile building blocks for Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction for modular synthesis of gem-difluoroenol ethers and gem-difluoroalkenes.
