Chemoselective Pd-Catalyzed C-TeCF3 Coupling of Aryl Iodides.

While the TeCF3 moiety features promising properties and potential in a range of applications, no direct synthetic method exists for its incorporation into aromatic scaffolds. This report features the first direct catalytic method for the formation of C(sp2 )-TeCF3 bonds. The method relies on a Pd/Xantphos catalytic system and allows for the trifluoromethyltellurolation of aryl iodides. Our computational and experimental mechanistic analyses shed light on the privileged activity of Xantphos in this transformation.