Regioselective transformation of terminal and internal alkynes into α,α-difluoro ketones under mild conditions

Here, we report a facile approach for divergent synthesis of aryl α,α-difluoroketones from both terminal and internal arylalkynes by employing Selectfluor as the fluorine-source. DFT calculations of this transformation reveal that the products are formed via electrophilic fluorination of the CC triple bond. In comparison with the existed approaches allowing the preparation of limited α,α-difluoroketones, the present work enriches the capabilities of synthesizing different α-fluorinated arylketones, and offers a fundamental basis for further development of fluorinated products including drugs and functional materials due to the significant importance of fluorinated ketones in organic synthesis. Moreover, the metal-free conditions in conjunction with the use of cost-effective H2O and better functional group tolerance highlight the practicality of the developed chemistry.