Two-in-one: Me3 SiCF2 Br is an efficient difluorocarbene source and is compatible with both neutral and aqueous basic conditions. Bromide-ion-initiated [2+1] cycloaddition with alkenes/alkynes and hydroxide ion promoted α-addition with (thio)phenols, (thio)alcohols, sulfinates, heterocyclic amines, and H-phosphine oxides give the corresponding gem-difluorinated compounds with broad functional-group tolerance.

A robust mechanically controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (mechano-ATRP) was developed by enhancing the interaction between piezoelectric nanoparticles and ATRP Cu catalysts. The interactions favor a mechano-induced electron transfer from the surface of the nanoparticles to the deactivator CuII/L complex under ultrasonic agitation, promoting the formation of the activator CuI/L complex, thereby increasing the rate of the polymerization. This mechano-ATRP was carried out with a low loading of zinc oxide nanoparticles, providing a polymer with high end-group fidelity, predetermined molecular weight, and low dispersity. Propagation of the polymer chains was switched on/off in response to the ultrasound. The effects of the nature of the nanoparticle, nanoparticle loading, and targeted degrees of polymerization were investigated to evaluate the mechanism of mechano-ATRP.

A novel Cu-catalyzed gem-difluoroolefination of diazo compounds is described. This transformation starts from readily available TMSCF3 and diazo compounds, via trifluoromethylation followed by C-F bond cleavage, to afford the desired 1,1-difluoroalkene products.

A new olefination protocol for transition-metal-free cross-coupling of two carbene fragments arising from two different sources, namely, a nonfluorinated carbene fragment resulting from a diazo compound and a difluorocarbene fragment derived from Ruppert-Prakash reagent (TMSCF3) or TMSCF2Br, has been developed. This gem-difluoroolefination proceeds through the direct nucleophilic addition of diazo compounds to difluorocarbene followed by elimination of N2. Compared to previously reported Cu-catalyzed gem-difluoroolefination of diazo compounds with TMSCF3, which possesses a narrow substrate scope due to a demanding requirement on the reactivity of diazo compounds and in-situ-generated CuCF3, this transition-metal-free protocol affords a general and efficient approach to various disubstituted 1,1-difluoroalkenes, including difluoroacrylates, diaryldifluoroolefins, as well as arylalkyldifluoroolefins. In view of the ready availability of diazo compounds and difluorocarbene reagents and versatile transformations of 1,1-difluoroalkenes, this new gem-difluoroolefination method is expected to find wide applications in organic synthesis.

A new method for the on-site preparation of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and a procedure for its efficient use in pentafluoroethylation by fluoride addition were developed by using a simple two-chamber system. The on-site preparation of TFE was accomplished by dimerization of difluorocarbene derived from (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane (TMSCF ) under mild conditions. Other fluoroalkylation reactions, such as (aryloxy)tetrafluoroethylation and tetrafluoroethylation processes, were also achieved using a similar approach. This work not only demonstrates a convenient and safe approach for the generation and use of TFE in academic laboratories, but also provides a new strategy for pentafluoroethylation.

A general method for the efficient difluoromethylation of alcohols using commercially available TMSCF Br (TMS=trimethylsilyl) as a unique and practical difluorocarbene source is developed. This method allows primary, secondary, and even tertiary alkyl difluoromethyl ethers to be synthesized under weakly basic or acidic conditions. The reaction mainly proceeds through the direct interaction between a neutral alcohol and difluorocarbene, which is different from the difluoromethylation of phenols. Moreover, alcohols containing other moieties that are also reactive toward difluorocarbene can be transformed divergently by using TMSCF Br. This research not only solves the synthetic problem of difluorocarbene-mediated difluoromethylation of alcohols, it also provides new insights into the different reaction mechanisms of alcohol difluoromethylation and phenol difluoromethylation with difluorocarbene species.

The deoxyfluorination of alcohols is a fundamentally important approach to access alkyl fluorides, and thus the development of shelf‐stable, easy‐to‐handle, fluorine‐economical, and highly selective deoxyfluorination reagents is highly desired. This work describes the development of a crystalline compound, N‐tosyl‐4‐chlorobenzenesulfonimidoyl fluoride (SulfoxFluor), as a novel deoxyfluorination reagent that possesses all of the aforementioned merits, which is rare in the arena of deoxyfluorination. Endowed by the multi‐dimensional modulating ability of the sulfonimidoyl group, SulfoxFluor is superior to 2‐pyridinesulfonyl fluoride (PyFluor) in fluorination rate, and is also superior to perfluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride (PBSF) in fluorine‐economy. Its reaction with alcohols not only tolerates a wide range of functionalities including the more sterically hindered alcoholic hydroxyl groups, but also exhibits high fluorination/elimination selectivity. Because SulfoxFluor can be easily prepared from inexpensive materials and can be safely handled without special techniques, it promises to serve as a practical deoxyfluorination reagent for the synthesis of various alkyl fluorides.

Aromatic cation activation is a useful strategy to promote deoxyfunctionalization; however, the deoxyfluorination of alcohols with cyclopropenium cation remains an unsolved problem due to the weak nucleophilicity of fluoride ion. Here we report the use of 3,3-difluoro-1,2-diarylcyclopropenes (CpFluors) as easily accessible and reactivity-tunable deoxyfluorination reagents. The electronic nature of CpFluors is critical for fluorination of monoalcohols via alkoxycyclopropenium cations, and CpFluors with electron-rich aryl substituents facilitate the transformation with high efficiency; however, selective monofluorination of 1,2- and 1,3-diols, which proceeds via cyclopropenone acetals, is less dependent on the electronic nature of CpFluors. Moreover, CpFluors are more sensitive to the electronic nature of alcohols than many other deoxyfluorination reagents, thus fluorination of longer diols can be achieved selectively at the relatively electron-rich position. This research not only unveils the first example of deoxyfluorination reagents that contain an all-carbon scaffold, but also sheds light on the divergent reactivity of cyclopropenium cation in deoxyfunctionalization of alcohols.