Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Olefination and Trifluoromethylation of Carboxylic Acids To Give ( Z )-Trifluoromethyl Enol Esters.

Herein, we describe a method to produce ( Z )-trifluoromethyl enol esters via the olefination and trifluoromethylation of carboxylic acids with TMSCF 3 . This synthetic method uses inexpensive and easy-to-handle TMSCF 3 . It employs a commercially available CuCl catalyst to transform a broad range of carboxylic acids into versatile ( Z )-trifluoromethyl enol esters with good regio- and stereoselectivity. This protocol allows the concise synthesis of highly functionalized ( Z )-trifluoromethyl enol esters directly from carboxylic acids.