Catalytic Geminal Difluorination of Styrenes for the Construction of Fluorine-rich Bioisosteres

A geminal difluorination of alkenes based on I­(I)/I­(III) catalysis is disclosed, which is compatible with a range of electronically and substitutionally diverse styrenes (27 examples, up to 89% yield). Employing inexpensive p-TolI as the organocatalyst, turnover is enabled by Selectfluor-mediated oxidation to generate the ArIF2 species in situ. Extension to include α-substituted styrenes bearing fluorine-containing groups is disclosed and provides an expansive platform for the generation of fluorine-rich architectures.