Mild Darzens Annulations for the Assembly of Trifluoromethylthiolated (SCF₃) Aziridine and Cyclopropane Structures

We report mild new annulation approaches to trisubstituted trifluoromethylthiolated (SCF3) aziridines and cyclopropanes via Darzens inspired protocols. The products of these anionic annulations, rarely studied previously, possess attractive features rendering them valuable building blocks for synthesis platforms. In this study, trisubstituted acetophenone nucleophiles bearing SCF3 and bromine substituents in their α position were shown to undergo [2 + 1] annulations with vinyl ketones and tosyl-protected imines under mild reaction conditions.