Highly Chemoselective Synthesis of Azaarene-Equipped CF3-Tertiary Alcohols under Metal-Free Conditions and Their Fungicidal Activities.

A highly chemoselective reaction between α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with azaarenes under metal-free conditions was carried out, affording a range of valuable azaarene-equipped CF3-tertiary alcohols in moderate to excellent yields (up to 95% yield) with good tolerance of functional groups, and their structures were confirmed by NMR, HRMS, and X-ray diffraction for validation. This method features simple reaction conditions (only solvent), high atom- and step-economy, and broad substrate scope. Moreover, most of the target products exhibited promising fungicidal activities, and compound 3al exhibited 91.65% fungicidal activity against R. solani, with an EC50 value of 0.18 mg/mL.