Trifluoroethanol‐mediated Decarboxylative Addition Reactions of β‐Ketoacids with Diverse Electrophiles.

An efficient decarboxylative addition reaction of β‐ketoacids with miscellaneous electrophiles in 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol (TFE) is reported. The reaction proceeds smoothly without any base and metal catalysts, affording a broad range of diarylmethanes, β‐hydroxy ketones and 3,3‐disubstituted oxindoles with moderate to excellent yields under essentially neutral conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]