SYNLETT0936-52141437-2096 © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York 2015, 26, 1911–1912 1911 spotlight Syn lett S. Kyasa Spotlight Fluoroform (CHF3) ShivaKumar Kyasa ShivaKumar Kyasa was born in Telangana state, India, in 1978. After completing a B.Sc. (chemis- try, biology) and a M.Sc. (medicinal chemistry) Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0304, USA from Osmania University, he worked at Dr. Red-
[email protected] dy’s Laboratories, Ltd., Hyderabad, India. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the Published online: 11.06.2015 University of Nebraska–Lincoln, USA under the DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1380924; Art ID: st-2015-v0519-v supervision of Prof. Patrick H. Dussault. His re- search focuses on C–O bond formation and syn- thesis of functionalized ethers using peroxide oxygen as an electrophile. Introduction with Lewis bases (most commonly catalytic fluoride) to af- ford pentavalent silicon species as nucleophiles has enabled Fluoroform, which is generated in ~20 kilotons/year trifluoromethylation of a number of electrophiles.4 The tri- as a side product of Teflon manufacture,1,2 is a low-boiling fluoromethyl group has great importance in medicinal, ag- (-82 °C), non-toxic and non-ozone-depleting gas.1,3 Howev- rochemical and materials science.5 This spotlight describes er, fluoroform is a potent greenhouse agent and there is recently reported methods for tri- and difluoromethylation great interest in methods for use of the gas as a synthetic based upon fluoroform. reagent. The direct use of trifluoromethyl anion as a nucleo- phile has been challenging due to facile α-elimination to CF3 CF2 + F fluoride and difluorocarbene (Scheme 1).