Copper(I)-promoted dechlorinative Surzur-Tanner rearrangement of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carboxylates.

[reaction: see text] 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl carboxylates undergo highly efficient dechlorinative Surzur-Tanner rearrangement with 2 equiv of a 1:1 molar mixture of CuCl and bpy in boiling DCE to give 1-chloroethenyl carboxylates in which copper appears to play an important role, probably by coordinating the initial radical or as a Lewis acid catalyst.