Recent Applications of Trifluoromethanesulfonic Anhydride in Organic Synthesis.

Trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride has been widely used in synthetic organic chemistry, not only for the conversion of various oxygen-containing compounds to the triflates, but also for the electrophilic activation and further conversion of amides, sulfoxides, and phosphorus oxides. In recent years, the utilization of Tf 2 O as an activator for nitrogen-containing heterocycles, nitriles and nitro groups has become a promising tool for the development of new valuable methods with considerable success. In addition, Tf 2 O has been used as an efficient radical trifluoromethylation and trifluoromethylthiolation reagent due to the contained SO 2 CF 3 fragment, and significant progress has been made in this area. This review summarizes the recent progress in the applications of Tf 2 O in the above two aspects, and aims to illustrate the role and potential application of this reagent in organic synthesis.