Transition metal/photocatalyst-free skeletal editing of indene with iodonium difluorodiazo reagent to access 2-(difluoromethyl)naphthalene

In this study, we design and synthesize a reactive difluorodiazo hypervalent iodine^(III) reagent that facilitates the ring expansion of indene under mild basic conditions at room temperature. This protocol offers a practical and efficient route to a diverse array of 2-difluoromethyl naphthalene derivatives in good yields.