2-Substituted 1,10-Phenanthrolines Accelerated Copper Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Aryl Halides

Modification at the 2-position of 1,10-phenanthroline affords a new N̂N̂O ligand, which introduces an oxygen-containing coordination site for copper pincer complexes. In comparison to unmodified 1,10-phenanthroline, this catalytic system facilitates the trifluoromethylation of aryl iodides with significantly shortened reaction time and improved conversion efficiency. Notably, it also enables the efficient transformation of several classes of aryl bromides that were previously incompatible with this type of reaction.