S-, N-, and Se-difluoromethylation using sodium chlorodifluoroacetate.

A simple protocol for the difluoromethylation of thiols is reported using chlorodifluoroacetate as the difluoromethylating agent. This cheap reagent undergoes smooth decarboxylation at 95 °C to afford difluorocarbene, which can be trapped with a variety of aromatic and heteroaromatic thiols. The reaction is also effective for the difluoromethylation of heterocyclic nitrogen compounds and phenylselenol.