Microwave-Assisted Copper Catalysis of α-Difluorinated -Diol Toward Difluoroalkyl Radical for Hydrodifluoroalkylation of -Quinone Methides

Reported herein is a unified strategy to generate difluoroalkyl radicals from readily prepared α-difluorinated -diols by single electron oxidation. Under microwave irradiation, a catalytic amount of oxidant Cu(OAc) succeeds in the formation of transient difluoroalkyl radicals , for the first time. The reaction features a simple protocol, short reaction time, scalability, and high yield. The synthetic utility of this new methodology was also explored for the synthesis of difluoroalkylated -cyclohexadienones, which is an important core structure in natural products and pharmaceuticals.