α-(Difluoromethyl)styrene: Improved approach to grams scale synthesis

• Convenient three-step synthetic route towards non-commercially available monomer.
• A key step in synthesis of DFMST was a nucleophilic difluoromethylation.
• Efficient, easily scalable, two-step procedure to obtain difluoromethylating agent.
• The methods are easy to implement, selective and easily scalable.
• The syntheses are based on affordable, available from suppliers starting materials.

Improved, efficient, grams scale synthesis of α-(difluoromethyl)styrene (DFMST) based on nucleophilic difluoromethylation process using difluoromethylphenyl sulfone, is presented. Difluoromethylating agent (PhSO2CF2H) was obtained in two-step synthetic sequence with 69% overall yield. Three-step DFMST synthetic route was easily implemented for the preparation of gram quantities of the monomer, allowing for polymerization studies. The syntheses were based on the use of commercially available and reasonable in price starting materials and reagents.

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