Scalable Preparation and Application of Ar <sub>2</sub> S <sup>+</sup> -CF <sub>3</sub> TfO <sup>–</sup>

S -Trifluoromethyl sulfonium salt Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO – has emerged as a powerful reagent for trifluoromethylation. However, a scalable synthesis of this salt has not been reported to date, and its preparation traditionally relies on highly toxic benzene, which raises significant safety and environmental concerns. In this work, we first achieved a practical tens-of-gram-scale synthesis of Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO –, and then, we realized a >100 g-scale preparation of an analogue, S -trifluoromethyl bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfonium triflate (F-Sul). The synthesis of this salt avoids the use of benzene and streamlines the purification (no chromatography required). Comprehensive evaluation revealed that F-Sul exhibits nearly identical reactivity to Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO – in diverse trifluoromethylation reactions. Furthermore, we demonstrated the scalability and synthetic utility of F-Sul by achieving the hundred-gram-scale synthesis of nonafluorobutyl trifluoromethyl sulfonate ( n C 4 F 9 SO 3 CF 3, TFNf), a valuable trifluoromethoxylation reagent and an electrolyte additive for lithium-ion batteries.

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Publication Details

Journal
Organic Process Research & Development
Published
2026-06-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.oprd.6c00048
Primary Topic
Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Scalable Preparation and Application of Ar 2 S + -CF 3 TfO –

Jin‐Hong Lin, J J Liu, Ji‐Chang Xiao
Organic Process Research & Development
Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
article

Scalable Preparation and Application of Ar 2 S + -CF 3 TfO –

Jin‐Hong Lin, J J Liu, Ji‐Chang Xiao
article en

Abstract

S -Trifluoromethyl sulfonium salt Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO – has emerged as a powerful reagent for trifluoromethylation. However, a scalable synthesis of this salt has not been reported to date, and its preparation traditionally relies on highly toxic benzene, which raises significant safety and environmental concerns. In this work, we first achieved a practical tens-of-gram-scale synthesis of Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO –, and then, we realized a >100 g-scale preparation of an analogue, S -trifluoromethyl bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfonium triflate (F-Sul). The synthesis of this salt avoids the use of benzene and streamlines the purification (no chromatography required). Comprehensive evaluation revealed that F-Sul exhibits nearly identical reactivity to Ph 2 S + CF 3 TfO – in diverse trifluoromethylation reactions. Furthermore, we demonstrated the scalability and synthetic utility of F-Sul by achieving the hundred-gram-scale synthesis of nonafluorobutyl trifluoromethyl sulfonate ( n C 4 F 9 SO 3 CF 3, TFNf), a valuable trifluoromethoxylation reagent and an electrolyte additive for lithium-ion batteries.

Organic Process Research & Development
Shanghai University (CN), Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (CN), Innovative Research (United States) (US), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
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