Oxidative cross-coupling of beta,beta-difluoroenol silyl ethers with nucleophiles: a dipole-inversion method to difluoroketones.
Oxidative cross-coupling of alpha-aryl-beta,beta-difluoroenol silyl ethers with heteroaromatics in the presence of Cu(OTf)(2) in wet acetonitrile proceeds smoothly, affording heteroaryldifluoromethyl aryl ketones in 61-88% yields. Alcohols also react as nucleophiles under the same conditions to provide alkoxydifluoromethyl aryl ketones in 73-80% yields. [reaction: see text]