Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Alkenes via a Tandem Aldol/<i>N</i>-Acyloxyphthalimide-Assisted Decarboxylation Sequence

We have developed a metal-free approach for synthesizing <i>E</i>-trifluoromethylated alkenes from readily available aldehydes and the <i>N</i>-hydroxyphtalimide ester of trifluoropropionic acid. To address the challenge of defluorination, we conducted high-throughput screening of reaction conditions. We discovered that acid-base co-catalysis effectively suppresses defluorination, thereby enhancing product yields. A key advantage of our method is its reliance on inexpensive, commercially available starting materials and straightforward reaction conditions.