Use of a Traceless Activating and Directing Group for the Construction of Trifluoromethylpyrazoles: One-Pot Transformation of Nitroolefins and Trifluorodiazoethane.

We disclose an efficient one-pot transformation of trifluorodiazoethane and higher perfluorinated homologues with various nitroolefins. This method takes advantage of the nitro group as a traceless activating and directing group (TADG) that is released in the aromatization step to produce 4-substituted 3-perfluoroalkyl pyrazoles with complete regioselectivity. The potential of this method is further demonstrated by the synthesis of penthiopyrad.