Nucleophilic difluoromethylation and difluoromethylenation using bromodifluoromethyl phenyl sulfone

Tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene (TDAE) was found to be an effective electron-transfer agent that promoted the reactions of bromodifluoromethyl phenyl sulfone with aldehydes to give structurally diverse (benzenesulfonyl)difluoromethylated alcohols in good yield, which can be further transformed into difluoromethyl alcohols and 1,1-difluoro-1-alkenes via reductive desulfonylation and Julia olefination, respectively.