Being economic with fluorine: The direct synthesis of CuCF3 from a cuprate reagent and trifluoromethyl ketones, as one of the most economical and efficient trifluoromethyl sources, was accomplished. The advantages of this method are all of reagents employed are low‐cost, operation is simple, and the yield of CuCF3 is virtually quantitative (see scheme). Furthermore, three types of trifluoromethylations smoothly proceeded to provide the corresponding products in high yields.

The combination of difluoroiodomethane and zinc dust or diethylzinc can readily lead to (difluoromethyl)zinc reagents. Therefore, the first copper-catalyzed difluoromethylation of aryl iodides with the zinc reagents is accomplished to afford the difluoromethylated arenes. The reaction proceeds efficiently through the ligand/activator-free operation without addition of ligands for copper catalyst (e.g., phen and bpy) and activators for zinc reagent (e.g., KF, CsF, and NaO-t-Bu). Moreover, transmetalation of the CF2H group from zinc reagent to copper catalyst proceeds even at room temperature to form the cuprate [Cu(CF2H)2](-).

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SummaryThe trifluoromethylation of aryl iodides catalyzed by copper(I) salt with trifluoromethylzinc reagent prepared in situ from trifluoromethyl iodide and Zn dust was accomplished. The catalytic reactions proceeded under mild reaction conditions, providing the corresponding aromatic trifluoromethylated products in moderate to high yields. The advantage of this method is that additives such as metal fluoride (MF), which are indispensable to activate silyl groups for transmetallation in the corresponding reactions catalyzed by copper salt by using the Ruppert–Prakash reagents (CF3SiR3), are not required.

The direct synthesis of pentafluoroethyl copper (CuC2F5) from a cuprate reagent and ethyl pentafluoropropionate as one of the most economical and useful pentafluoroethyl sources was accomplished. The advantages of this method are; all the reagents employed are low-cost and operationally simple, and the CuC2F5 reagent is prepared in virtually quantitative yield. Furthermore, the CuC2F5 reagent prepared was successfully applied to two types of pentafluoroethylations with arylboronic acids and aryl bromides to provide the pentafluoroethylated aromatic products in good-to-excellent yields, including large scale operations.