Silver-catalyzed formal [3+2]-cycloaddition of α-trifluoromethylated methyl isocyanides: a facile stereoselective synthesis of CF3-substituted heterocycles.

An Ag-catalyzed formal [3+2]-cycloaddition of α-trifluoromethylated methyl isocyanides with polar double bonds has been developed for the facile access to trifluoromethylated oxazolines, imidazolines and pyrrolines under mild conditions. The practicality of this chemistry is demonstrated by the gram-scale synthesis of oxazolines with excellent yields and facile transformations of the formed oxazolines to trifluoromethylated β-amino alcohols in quantitative yields.