Provided that DMF (or another N,N-dialkylformamide) is present in the reaction medium, at least in a catalytic amount, fluoroform trifluoromethylates efficiently carbonyl compounds, even enolizable ones, when opposed to (TMS)(2)N(-) M(+), generated in situ from N(TMS)(3) and M(+) F(-) or RO(-) Na(+). When F(-) is used in a catalytic amount, silylated alpha-(trifluoromethyl)carbinols are obtained: in this case, the four-component system HCF(3)/N(TMS)(3)/catalytic F(-)/catalytic DMF behaves like the Ruppert's reagent, especially as far as nonenolizable carbonyl compounds are concerned (CF(3)SiMe(3) remains more efficient for enolizable carbonyl compounds). This process involves an adduct between DMF and (-)CF(3) which is the true trifluoromethylating agent. In the same way, fluoroform efficiently trifluoromethylates disulfides and diselenides when deprotonated with a strong base selected from t-BuOK or N(SiMe(3))(3)/Me(4)NF (or TBAT). t-BuOK is more adapted to the trifluoromethylation of aryl disulfides whereas N(SiMe(3))(3)/F(-) is well suited to that of aliphatic disulfides.

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The first enantiopure N-fluoro quaternary ammonium salts of cinchona alkaloids as enantioselective fluorinating agents are reported. A one-step transfer-fluorination on the naturally occurring cinchona alkaloids gave the fluorinating agents F-CA-BF(4). This new generation of fluorinating agents exhibited asymmetric induction up to 61% on fluorination of enolates and silyl enol ethers of 2-methyl-1-tetralone.

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