One‐Pot Synthesis of Fluorinated Pyrimidine Derivatives from Aldehydes by Photocatalytic α‐Perfluoroalkenylation

Abstract A straightforward, operationally simple and inexpensive one‐pot synthesis of substituted 4‐perfluoroalkyl‐pyrimidine derivatives is reported. Employing triphenylphosphine as a photocatalyst and an additional imidazolidinone organocatalyst, aldehydes undergo α‐perfluoroalkenylation giving highly electron‐deficient enals, which form the heterocycle upon condensation with a guanidinium salt. The method tolerates many functional groups and gives the corresponding products in up to 84 % yield over both steps.