Difluoromethyl 2-pyridyl sulfone: a new gem-difluoroolefination reagent for aldehydes and ketones.

Difluoromethyl 2-pyridyl sulfone, a previously unknown compound, was found to act as a novel and efficient gem-difluoroolefination reagent for both aldehydes and ketones. It was found that the fluorinated sulfinate intermediate in the reaction is relatively stable, which can be observed by (19)F NMR and trapped with CH(3)I.