Visible Light‐Driven Difluoroalkoxylation of Imidazopyridines Using <i>N</i>‐Fluorobenzenesulfonimide as Fluorinating Agent

Abstract A visible‐light‐promoted site‐selective difluoroalkoxylation of imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines has been achieved using N‐fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) as a fluorinating agent. This practical reaction has a wide range of substrate scope for both imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines and alcohols to give 3,3‐difluoro‐2‐alkoxy‐2‐arylimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines in 65–93% yields. The reaction proceeded at room temperature, showed high functional group tolerance, and was amenable to scale‐up. Based on mechanistic investigation, a radical pathway is proposed.