Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This account summarizes how we performed the intramolecular nucleophilic substitutions of the hydroxy groups at alpha-position to trifluoromethyl group. The origin of the steric hindrance of the trifluoromethyl group was found to be the electrostatic repulsive force between the nucleophile and the negatively charged fluorine atoms.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Katagiri et al. (2002) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: