A Strategy for Accessing Trifluoromethyl Carbinol-Containing Chromones from o-Hydroxyaryl Enaminones and Trifluoroacetaldehyde/Ketone Derivatives

Herein, we present a practical strategy for the direct construction of structurally diverse trifluoromethyl carbinol-containing compounds, especially CF3-substituted tertiary alcohol with chromone derivatives from easily available o-hydroxyaryl enaminones and trifluoroacetaldehyde/ketone derivatives under metal-free conditions. This reaction features a broad substrate scope with good yields and is easily scaled up. Notably, a one-pot in two-steps reaction of obtained products with amidines is also developed to provide a series of multi-substituted pyrimidine derivatives bearing two unique hydroxyls and one trifluoromethyl containing functional units.

Automated summary

In this study, a practical strategy is presented for the direct construction of structurally diverse trifluoromethyl carbinol-containing compounds, specifically CF3-substituted tertiary alcohols with chromone derivatives. These compounds are synthesized from easily available o-hydroxyaryl enaminones and trifluoroacetaldehyde/ketone derivatives under metal-free conditions. The reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope with good yields and easy scalability. Additionally, a one-pot, two-step reaction of the obtained products with amidines is developed to produce a series of multi-substituted pyrimidine derivatives bearing two unique hydroxyls and one trifluoromethyl functional unit.