Cadmium Sulfide Quantum‐Dot‐Photocatalyzed Cascade Cyclization of Functionalized Difluoromethyl Chlorides with Unactivated Olefins

A cadmium sulfide quantum‐dot‐photocatalyzed C(sp3)−Cl bond cleavage of ethyl chlorodifluoroacetate and cascade cyclization with unactivated olefins is described herein. This reaction provides a cost‐efficient method for synthesizing a wide range of CF2‐containing azaheterocycles from a variety of functionalized difluoromethyl chlorides. Furthermore, the results of a preliminary anti‐proliferative activity study indicate an in vitro anti‐proliferative activity superior to that of doxorubicin with IC50 values of 1.140 μM on triple negative breast cancer (MDA‐MB‐231) and 2.129 μM on lung (A549) carcinoma cells.