Generation of Formal Alkyne Anions

However, difluoromethylation occurs when nucleophiles intercept difluoro-carbene generated under basic conditions, providing a route to difluoromethyl-ethers of phenols [33] and thiophenols [34]. The reaction with phosphite anion leads to the corresponding difluoromethyl phosphonate (see Sect. 2.3.2) while nucleophilic carbanions such as alkynes [35] also undergo formal alkylation, as do malonates [36,37]. An -difluoromethylaziridine was reported in a reaction with a glycine imine [38]. The scope of the established chemistry is summarised in Fig. 1. Bromodifluoromethylation occurs with a similar range of nucleophiles [39,40], and also with carbonyl-stabilised carbanions such as malonates [41,42]. 

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