Abstract: Selectively fluorinated molecules are important as materials, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals, but their synthesis by simple, mild, laboratory methods is challenging. We report a straightforward method for the cross-coupling of a difluoromethyl group with readily available reagents to form difluoromethylarenes. The reaction of electron-neutral, electronrich, and sterically hindered aryl and vinyl iodides with the combination of Cul, CsF and TMSCF2H leads to the formation of difluoromethylarenes in high yield with good functional group compatibility. This transformation is surprising, in part, because of the prior observation of the instability of CuCF2H.

Abstract: The present invention provides an industrially advantageous process for the preparation of an optically active 2-halo-1-(substituted phenyl)ethanol useful as medicines, agricultural chemicals or as intermediates thereof; and a simple process for the preparation of an optically active substituted styrene oxide or 2-amino-1-(substituted phenyl)ethanol useful as medicines, agricultural chemicals or intermediates thereof. A 2-halo-1-(substituted phenyl)ethanol represented by the following general formula (I) is allowed to contact, in the presence of a carboxylic anhydride, with an enzyme stereoselectively catalyzing ester interchange to produce an optically active 2-halo-1-(substituted phenyl)ethanol: ##STR1## (wherein X represents a chlorine atom or a bromine atom, and R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 may be the same or different and each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C.sub.1-5 alkyl group, a C.sub.1-5 haloalkyl group, a C.sub.

Abstract: A regioselective processes are disclosed for the synthesis of (1R,1S)-amino-(2S,2R)-alkanol, particularly (1R,1S)-amino-(2S,2R)-indanol.