From aryl fluoroformates

Therefore, much effort has been devoted to the research of new industrializable routes to fluorinated aromatics derivatives which are as far as possible versatile and without the drawbacks of classical processes. Among the reported reactions (refs. 4-7) aryl fluoroformate decarboxylation seems to be very attractive. Aryl fluoroformates are easily prepared from the corresponding phenol, phosgene and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, which are widely available and cheap raw materials. 

Electroreduction of aryl halides generates aryl anion, which also acts as EGB. For example, the electroreduction of iodobenzene (Ph-I) gives phenyl anion, which deprotonates fluoroform. The trifluoromethyl anion derived from the fluoroform reacts with aldehydes to give the trifluoromethylated alcohols as coupling products (Eqs. 18 and 19) [13]. 

Both aromatic and aliphatic fluoroformates 7 can be readily prepared from phenols or alcohols and carbonyl difluoride and treated with sulfur tetrafluoride without isolation. Hydrogen fluoride evolved in the reaction of hydroxy compounds with carbonyl di fluoride serves as a catalyst for the consecutive reaction with sulfur tetrafluoride.15<)-162 This provides a general, convenient, direct synthesis of aryl and alkyl trifluoromethyl ethers 5 from phenols and alcohols. When the intermediate fluoroformate 7 is isolated prior to treatment with sulfur tetrafluoride, at least one mole equivalent of hydrogen fluoride is necessary to promote the fluorination reaction. 159 163 Representative examples of the conversion of hydroxy compounds 6 into trifluoromethyl ethers 5 via intermediate fluoroformates 7 are given (for other examples 7 -> 5, see Houben-Weyl, Vol. E4, pp 628. 629). 

Much better results can be obtained with substituted aromatics. The reaction of aryl chloro- or fluoroformates which have alkyl groups in position 2 and 6 gives fluoroaromalic compounds in good yield. The Friedel-Crafts reaction is widely suppressed although Lewis acids or hydrogen fluoride are present in the reaction mixture. Another advantage of this process is that the fluoroaromalic compounds can be obtained from the fluoro- as well as from the chloroformates. which, in general, are easier to prepare, A typical example is the formation of 2-fluoro-1.3-dimethylbenzene (2). ... 

Attempts to apply the thermal decarboxylation reaction in the liquid phase to aromatic halofor-mic acid esters have shown that their reaction is different from that ol the aliphatic haloformates. It was found that evolution of carbon dioxide occurs, but only high boiling products could be isolated.136 On heating in the presence of aromatics and Lewis acids, aryl chloroformates do not react to give chlorinated aromatics with concomitant decarboxylation, but undergo a Friedel-Crafts reaction to give phenyl benzoates.137 Under similar conditions phenyl fluoroformate undergoes only polymerization and carbonate formation.137... 

An alternative means of technical-scale access to fluoroarenes is the fluoroformate method. Starting from the corresponding phenol a fluoroformate is generated by reaction with carbonyl chloride fluoride and subsequently catalytically decarboxy-lated to the aryl fluoride, in the gas phase, by contact with hot platinum [80] (Scheme 2.30). A newer, greener variant of the fluoroformate process has recently been introduced by Rhodia. In this the fluoroformate is formed by the (catalyzed) reaction of the phenol with COj in HF, and the expensive platinum catalyst is replaced by an aluminum-based material. 

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