Cu⁰-Promoted Truce–Smiles Rearrangement for Aryl-Difluoromethylenation of C═C Bonds via a Reductive Radical–Polar Crossover Process

An efficient Cu⁰-promoted Truce-Smiles rearrangement for the aryl-difluoromethylenation of C═C bonds by the reaction of <i>N</i>-alkyl-<i>N</i>-(arylsulfonyl)methacrylamide and 2-bromodifluoromethyl-1,3-benzodiazole via a reductive radical-polar crossover process under mild reaction conditions is presented. The protocol enables practical access to a variety of single regioisomer α-aryl-β-difluoromethylene amides in good to excellent yields through consecutive difluoromethylenation, radical-polar crossover, 1,4-aryl migration, SO₂ extrusion, and N-H bond formation cascade reaction.