Copper(ii)-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of N-aryl imines

Methods for imine trifluoromethylation are of great importance because amines with trifluoromethylated stereogenic centers are useful building blocks for synthetic chemistry and drug discovery. Herein, we describe a new copper(II)-catalyzed imine trifluoromethylation method without the use of Lewis base activators, presumably through cooperative activation.