Zinc-mediated formation of trifluoromethyl ethers from alcohols and hypervalent iodine trifluoromethylation reagents.

A (fluor)ry of activity: The transfer of an intact trifluoromethyl group from a hypervalent iodine reagent to an aliphatic alcohol occurs smoothly upon activation by zinc bis(triflimide). This constitutes a straightforward method for the preparation of trifluoromethoxy alkyl derivatives, compounds otherwise difficult to access.

Reactivity of a 10-I-3 hypervalent iodine trifluoromethylation reagent with phenols.

The reaction of the 10-I-3 hypervalent iodine electrophilic trifluoromethylation reagent 1-trifluoromethyl-1,2-benziodoxol-3-(1H)-one (2) with 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, after deprotonation with NaH and in the presence of 18-crown-6 in a polar, nonprotic solvent, affords 1,3,5-trimethyl-2-(trifluoromethoxy)benzene (4) only as a byproduct. Trifluoromethylation occurs preferentially at the ortho- and para-positions of the aromatic core, giving the corresponding trifluoromethylcyclohexadienones 5 and 6. In case the ortho- and/or para-positions are not substituted, the corresponding products of an aromatic, electrophilic substitution are obtained in moderate yield, for example, 2-trifluoromethyl-4-tert-butylphenol (10a) from 4-tert-butylphenol (10).

Mild cleavage of aryl mesylates: methanesulfonate as potent protecting group for phenols.

[reaction: see text] A mild protocol for the chemoselective deprotection of aryl methanesulfonates is described. The transformation can be conducted on highly functionalized substrates and renders the methanesulfonate a useful, previously underutilized protecting group for phenols.