An efficient Fe(III)-catalyzed 1,6-conjugate addition of para-quinone methides with fluorinated silyl enol ethers toward β,β-diaryl α-fluorinated ketones

Reported here is a highly efficient 1,6-conjugate addition of fluorinated silyl enol ethers to para-quinone methides, allowing facile access to a range of β,β-diaryl α-fluorinated ketones with good to high yields. Fe(OTf)₃ was identified as the optimal catalyst, with the loading of 3 mol%. Notably, this represent the first 1,6-conjugate addition with fluorinated silyl enol ethers. The synthetic potential of the resulting adducts is also demonstrated.