A Readily Available Trifluoromethylation Reagent and Its Difunctionalization of Alkenes.

Trifluoromethyl substitution is notably popular in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals; however, trifluoromethylated compounds normally rely on the use of cost-prohibitive or gaseous trifluoromethylating reagents, which diminishes the general applicability of these methods. Herein an efficient trifluoromethylation reagent trifluoromethylsulfonyl-pyridinium salt (TFSP) was reported, which can be readily prepared from cheap and easily available bulk industrial feedstocks. TFSP can generate a trifluoromethyl radical under photocatalysis and realize the effective azido- or cyano-trifluoromethylation reactions of alkenes.