Copper-catalysed synthesis of trifluoromethyl(hetero)arenes from di(hetero)aryl-λ³-iodanes

An efficient synthesis of trifluoromethylated (hetero)arenes has been achieved through the regioselective copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of di(hetero)aryl-λ3-iodanes, employing readily available trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane. The reaction works well for both symmetrical and unsymmetrical di(hetero)aryl-λ3-iodanes with good regioselectivity and also tolerates diverse functional groups such as bromo, iodo, cyano, nitro, ester, ketone and enolizable ketone.