TCDA: Practical Synthesis and Application in the Trifluoromethylation of Arenes and Heteroarenes

A practical synthesis of the reagent trimethylsilyl chlorodifluoroacetate (TCDA) is reported on 50 g scale. The trifluoromethylation with TCDA was optimized, and the reaction shows very broad scope with respect to electron-deficient, -neutral, -rich aryl/heteroaryl iodides, as well as excellent functional group tolerability, such as ester, amide, aldehyde, hydroxyl, and carboxylic acid. The reagent was also applied to the late-stage trifluoromethylation of three medicinally relevant compounds. Additionally, the building block trifluoromethylpyridine and one drug related molecule Boc-Fluoxetin were synthesized in 10 g scale by this method, demonstrating its practical applications in process chemistry.