Titanium-Mediated Direct Carbon-Carbon Double Bond Formation to α-Trifluoromethyl Acids: A New Contribution to the Knoevenagel Reaction and a High-Yielding and Stereoselective Synthesis of α-Trifluoromethylacrylic Acids
stereoselective synthesis of α-trifluoromethyl unsaturated carboxylic acids directly from the reactions of 3,3,3-trifluoropropanoic acid (CF3CH2COOH) with various aryl aldehydes in the presence of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is reported here for the first time, which is a valuable expansion for the classical Knoevenagel reaction. Because these compounds may have potential applications in organic electronics and