Benzyltrifluoromethyl (or Fluoroalkyl) Selenide: Reagent for Electrophilic Trifluoromethyl (or Fluoroalkyl) Selenolation

Abstract

Trifluoromethylseleno substituent (CF3Se) is an emerging group, but its direct introduction onto organic molecules is still quite limited and mainly restricted to nucleophilic methods. Herein, we describe a new approach to easily and safely perform electrophilic trifluoromethylselenolation starting from a simple and easily accessible reagent, namely, benzyltrifluoromethyl selenide. This strategy can be generalized to various fluoroalkylselanyl groups, even functionalized ones.