An efficient copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of trisubstituted allylic and homoallylic alcohols with Togni's reagent has been developed. This strategy, accompanied by a double-bond migration, leads to various branched CF3-substituted alcohols by using readily available trisubstituted cyclic/acyclic alcohols as substrates. Moreover, for alcohols in which β-H elimination is prohibited, CF3-containing oxetanes are isolated as the sole product.
Keywords: (homo)allylic alcohols; branched products; copper; radical reactions; trifluoromethylation.
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