In this study, we report practical and operationally-friendly synthesis of deoxyfluorination reagent in aqueous media under ambient conditions using hypochlorite as chlorinating agent and hydrofluoric acid as fluoride source. The presented air-stable and moisture-insensitive reagent, based on 2-chloro-1,3-bis(aryl)imidazolium dihydrogen trifluoride, is capable of converting electron-deficient phenols to corresponding aryl fluorides in presence of DBU as a base in excellent yields under mild conditions and great functional group tolerance reflected by 23 examples. Substrate scope include natural occurring compounds, dyes and compounds that exhibit biologically active properties. Deoxyfluorination reaction is simple and practical to perform. Structural characterization of side products also shed light onto mechanistical aspects of deoxyfluorination.
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