Palladium-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Coupling of gem-Difluorocyclopropanes for the Construction of 2-Fluoroallylic Sulfones.

A Pd-catalyzed ring-opening sulfonylation of gem-difluorocyclopropanes is reported. This protocol involves C-C bond cleavage, β-F elimination, and allylic coupling to form corresponding 2-fluoroallylic sulfones efficiently with Z-selectivity. Different substrates bearing diverse functional groups are tolerated. Moreover, this method is successfully used for the late-stage derivation of several bioactive molecules.