Zinc(0)–Copper(I) Chloride Promoted Reaction of Methyl Dichlorofluoroacetate with Carbonyl Compounds. A New Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Methyl (Z)-α-Fluoro-α,β-unsaturated Carboxylates

Methyl dichlorofluoroacetate, easily prepared from methyl trichloroacetate and antimony(III) fluoride, underwent the reductive coupling–elimination reaction with carbonyl compounds in the presence of zinc(0), a catalytic amount of copper(I) chloride, acetic anhydride, and molecular sieves to give the corresponding (Z)-α-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid methyl esters in high yields.