Difluoromethylation of 2-Hydroxychalcones Using Sodium 2-Chloro-2,2-difluoroacetate as Difluoromethylating Agent

Difluoromethylation of 2-hydroxychalcones using sodium 2-chloro-2,2-difluoroacetate as the difluoro-methylating agent was developed. Under facile conditions, a wide range of aryl difluoromethyl ethers were obtained in yields of 36%-80%. It is noteworthy that the new addition products, 2,2-difluoro-2H-benzofuran derivatives, were also synthesized in the reactions. The yield of 2,2-difluoro-2H-benzofuran derivative could be up to 35% when 3-methyl-2-hydroxychalcone was used as the reactant. A plausible reaction mechanism was proposed.