Copper-catalyzed one-pot denitrogenative-dehydrogenative-decarboxylative coupling of β-ketoacids with trifluorodiazoethane: facile access to trifluoromethylated aldol products.

A novel copper-catalyzed one-pot cross-coupling of β-ketoacids with in situ generated trifluorodiazoethane has been developed. This reaction provides a direct and efficient method, in which one C-C bond and one C-O bond were formed in a carbenoid center with concomitant denitrogenation-dehydrogenation-decarboxylation, to afford trifluoromethylated aldol products. In several preliminary experiments, good to high enantioselectivities were also obtained.