We dedicate this manuscript to Prof. Dr. Scott E. Denmark in honor of his 60th birthday.
Trifluoroethyl α-insertion of acetals has been developed. Aromatic, heteroaromatic, and alkenyl acetals react with in situ generated (trifluoromethyl)diazomethane in the presence of antimony(V) chloride to furnish α-trifluoromethyl acetals. A stereoselective version of this transformation exploiting the acetal as a chiral auxiliary is also presented.
Key words
antimony - acetals - insertion - diazo compounds - trifluoromethyl group