Abstract
Arenes substituted with perfluoroalkyl groups are attractive targets for drug and agrochemical development. Exploiting the carbenic character of donor/acceptor diazo compounds, a diversity-oriented synthesis of perfluoroalkylated arenes, for late stage fluorofunctionalization, is described. The reaction of 1-(diazo-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)arenes with HF, F/Br, F2, CF3H, and CF3SH sources give direct access to a variety of perfluoroalkyl-substituted arenes presenting with incremental fluorine content. The value of this approach is also demonstrated for radiochemistry and positron emission tomography with the [18F]-labeling of CF3CHF-, CF3CBrF-, and CF3CF2-arenes from [18F]fluoride.