Zn-mediated fragmentation of N-alkoxyphthalimides enabling synthesis of
gem-difluoroalkenes
Abstract
Alkoxy radicals have emerged as versatile intermediates to synthesis
various organic molecules, and the development of convenient methods for
their generation is highly desired. In this work, a new method for the
facile access to alkoxy radicals from bench-stable N-alkoxyphthalimides
promoted by Zn has been developed for the first time. These alkoxyl
radicals subsequently undergo β-scission or hydrogen atom transfer to
produce diverse and valuable alkyl radical species, which can be further
trapped by α-trifluoromethyl alkenes to construct structurally diverse
gem-difluoroalkenes in good yields.