Fluoroalkyl-substituted diazo compounds belong to one of the most powerful tools in organic synthetic chemistry and their transformations have attracted numerous attention. Since the reagent, trifluorodiazoethane, was discovered in 1943, it has attracted many research interests in organic synthesis. On the contrary, the similar difluorodiazoethane (CF₂HCHN₂), which just changes CF₃ group to CF₂H group, however, leads to significant changes on their chemical properties, in particular the stability. Until now, the studies on difluorinated diazo compounds remain less explored. Therefore, the related chemistry on difluorodiazoethane emerges as a hot research topic, and the inventory of methods for the preparation and application of new diazo compounds is continuously supplemented. In this communication, a visible-light- promoted esterification reaction of carboxylic acids with in situ generated (β-diazo-α,α-difluoroethyl)phosphonates via O-H insertion has been achieved under mild conditions, which afforded α,α-difluoromethyl phosphonates (DFMPs)-containing esters with good chemical yields. Several carboxylic acids and amines featuring various functional groups are well compatible in the reaction under photochemical conditions. A control experiment with the addition of D₂O has been performed to verify the proton-transfer process involved in this reaction, and a possible mechanism containing in situ generation of diazo intermediate and protonation is provided. This reaction is operationally simple and shows good functional group compatibility providing an efficient and sustainable strategy for the assembly of α,α-difluorinated phosphonate derivatives. A typical procedure for this visible-light- promoted reaction between (β-diazo-α,α-difluoroethyl)phosphonates and carboxylic acids is presented as follows: into a vail were taken amine 1 (0.2 mmol), carboxylic acid 2 (0.1 mmol), t-BuONO (0.24 mmol) and CHCl₃ (3 mL). The mixture was heated to 60 ℃ and stirred in the presence of 4.5 W blue LEDs for 4 h. Then, solvent was removed in vacuum. Product 3was purified by TLC plate of 20 cm×20 cm using petroleum ether/ethyl acetate (4∶1,V/V) as eluent.

Key words: difluorodiazoethane, (β-diazo-α,α-difluoroethyl)phosphonates, visible-light-initiation, O-H insertion, masked carbene