Gem-Difluoroalkene

Difluoroalkenes are alkenes that have two fluorines on their sp² carbon. Difluoroalkenes that have the fluorines on the same carbon, a geminal relationship, are called "gem"-difluoroalkenes. They have a unique reactivity derived from the fluorines. Generally, the alkenes are known to react with electrophiles. But "gem"-difluoroalkenes can react also with nucleophiles, since their carbon-carbon double bond is electrophilically activated by the two fluorine atoms. By using this characteristic, several fluorine-containing compounds have been prepared.

Because of their biological activities and physical properties, "gem"-difluoroalkene compounds have been attracting much interest in various fields such as medical and agricultural chemistry and material sciences.