Decarboxylative trifluoromethylation of aryl halides using well-defined copper–trifluoroacetate and –chlorodifluoroacetate precursors

New synthetic routes to (NHC)copper–trifluoroacetate and –chlorodifluoroacetate complexes were developed (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbenes) so baseline reactivity patterns could be established for the decarboxylative trifluoromethylation of organic halides. In the presence of aryl halides, loss of CO2 from these new precursors occurred at 160 °C concurrent with the formation of aryl–CF3.