Se-(Fluoromethyl) Benzenesulfonoselenoates: Shelf-Stable, Easily Available Reagents for Monofluoromethylselenolation.

A new class of electrophilic monofluoromethylselenolation reagents, Se-(fluoromethyl) benzenesulfonoselenoates, has been developed. They can be readily prepared from sodium benzenesulfinates, Se powder and ClCFH2 in one step under mild reaction conditions. Se-(fluoromethyl) benzenesulfonoselenoates are efficient electrophilic monofluoromethylselenolation reagents for a wide range of nucleophiles including indole, 6-azaindole, pyrrole, thiophene, electron-rich arene, aryl boronic acid and alkyne. The monofluoromethylselenolation approach features mild and environmentally friendly reaction conditions, good tolerance of various functional groups, and broad substrate scope.