Selective Fluoromethyl Couplings of Alkynes via Nickel Catalysis

We describe here a Ni-catalyzed intermolecular carbo-fluoromethylation of alkynes with aliphatic halides and fluoromethyl halides (BrCF2 H and ICH2 F) in the presence of zinc, enabling the facile and selective access to a diverse range of biologically valuable CF2 H/CH2 F-incorporated alkenes with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. Notably, merging intramolecular radical cyclization with fluoromethyl coupling enables the expedient constructions of CF2 H/CH2 F-incorporated lactones and lactams with high efficiency and selectivity. Mechanistic studies disclose that this catalytic protocol proceeds via a radical addition to an alkyne followed by selective coupling with the fluoromethyl unit.