Visible-Light-Driven Sulfonation of α-Trifluoromethylstyrenes: Access to Densely Functionalized CF3-Substituted Tertiary Alcohol.

Reported herein is a visible-light-induced sulfonation of α-trifluoromethylstyrenes with sodium sulfinates, which provides a series of α-trifluoromethyl-β-sulfonyl tertiary alcohols. This new synthetic protocol is enabled by a charge-transfer complex between oxygen and sulfinates, featuring broad substrate scope and scalability. Excellent functional group compatibility and chemoselectivity render this method suitable for sulfonation of pharmaceutically relevant molecules. In the presence of D2O, deuteriotrifluorinated products were also obtained, further demonstrating the flexibility and synthetic potentials of this strategy.