Deuteriodifluoromethyl Sulfonium Ylides: Easily Accessible Reagents for Electrophilic Deuteriodifluoromethylation of O-Nucleophiles

A class of sulfonium ylide-based reagents for electrophilic deuteriodifluoromethylation is reported. Thus, a wide array of ubiquitous O-nucleophiles such as sulfonic acid, alcohol, carboxyl acid, and phosphoric acid are deuteriodifluoromethylated, providing a straightforward approach to access the OCF2D-functionalizazed scaffolds that are otherwise challenging to synthesize using conventional methods. This base-free protocol also displays broad functional group compatibility and is amenable to effective late-stage modification of bioactive molecules.