A new general synthesis of α-fluorovinylphosphonates is provided by a Wadsworth-Emmons condensation of tetra-alkyl fluoromethylenebisphosphonates (1) with aldehydes and ketones. The reaction shows useful stereoselectivity favouring the less-hindered alkene product (3). Catalytic reduction of these alkenic products generally leads to α-fluoroalkylphosphonates (5), but hydrogenolysis of the carbon–fluorine
A general synthesis of α-fluorovinylphosphonates result from Wadsworth–Emmons condensation of tetra-alkyl fluoromethylenebisphosphonates with aldehydes and ketones with stereoselectivity favouring the less hindered product which can be reduced to give α-fluorophosphonates in good yield.