Formation of a reasonably stabilized trichloromethyl anion by the reaction of chloroform with electrogenerated base, and its 1,4-addition to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds
A reasonably stabilized trichloromethylanion (TCMA) was formed by the reaction of chloroform with an electrogenerated base prepared by the electroreduction of 2-pyrrolidone, and the addition of this TCMA to α,β-unsaturated esters gave the corresponding β-trichloromethyl esters in good yields.