Efficient Direct 2,2,2-Trifluoroethylation of Indoles via C-H Functionalization, Gergely László Tolnai, Anna Székely, Zita Makó, Tamás Gáti, János Daru, Tamás Bihari, Andras Stirling and Zoltán Novák, Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 4488-4491. DOI: 10.1039/C5CC00519A | [Supp. Info Link]

A novel highly C3 selective metal free trifluoroethylation of indoles using 2,2,2-trifuoroethyl(mesityl)-iodonium triflate was developed. The methodology enables the introduction of a trifluoroethyl group in a fast and efficient reaction under mild conditions with high functional group tolerance. Beyond the synthetic developments, quantum chemical calculations provide a deeper understanding of the transformation.