Copper-Catalyzed Reductive Trifluoromethylation of Alkyl Iodides with Togni's Reagent.

This work illustrates a reductive cross-electrophile coupling protocol for trifluoromethylation of alkyl iodides under Cu-catalyzed/Ni-promoted reaction conditions. The use of diboron esters as the terminal reductant allows the effective generation of the alkyl-CF3 products with excellent functional group tolerance and broad substrate scope. A mechanism involving a reaction of alkyl-Cu with Togni's reagent was proposed.