Nucleophilic difluoromethylation of primary alkyl halides using difluoromethyl phenyl sulfone as a difluoromethyl anion equivalent.

A facile and efficient nucleophilic difluoromethylation of primary alkyl halides has been disclosed through a novel nucleophilic substitution-reductive desulfonylation strategy, using difluoromethyl phenyl sulfone as a difluoromethyl anion ("CF(2)H(-)") equivalent.