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The synthesis of five-membered rings using fluoromethylene transfer chemistry is an attractive method for building fluorinated products of high value. This work demonstrates for the first time that one-fluorine-one-carbon modification of a substrate could be a viable strategy to access monofluorinated five-membered rings. The synthetic methodology was developed to access monofluorinated isoxazoline-N-oxides in one step starting from substituted 2-nitroacrylates using fluoromethylsulfonium reagents.

Johnson-Corey-Chaykovsky fluorocyclopropanation of double activated alkenes utilizing S-monofluoromethyl-S-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylphenylsulfonium tetrafluoroborate is an efficient approach to obtain a range of monofluorocyclopropane derivatives. So far, fluoromethylsulfonium salts have displayed the broadest scope for direct fluoromethylene transfer. In contrast to more commonly used fluorohalomethanes or freon derivatives, diarylfluoromethylsulfonium salts are bench stable, easy-to use reagents useful for the direct transfer of a fluoromethylene group to alkenes giving access to the challenging products - fluorocyclopropane derivatives. Interplay between the reactivity of the starting materials and stability of the fluorocyclopropanes formed determines the outcome of the process.