Electrochemical partial fluorination of organic compounds. 74. Efficient anodic synthesis of 2-fluoro- and 2,3-difluoro-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivatives.

Anodic fluorination of 3-substituted benzofuran derivatives in a variety of fluoride salts resulted in the formation of three fluorinated products; two stereoisomers of 2,3-difluoro-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (cis and trans) and cis-2-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivatives. Dehydrofluorination of the main products, cis-difluoro derivatives, furnished the nonaromatic 2-fluoro-3-benzofuranyledene derivatives instead of the aromatic 2-fluorobenzofuran derivatives.