Visible-light-induced direct hydrodifluoromethylation of alkenes with difluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium iodide salt

Photoredox-catalyzed hydrodifluoromethylation of alkenes has become an effective method to introduce difluoromethyl group into organic molecules. As the reported methods involve either photocatalysts or su-perstoichiometric amounts of additives, we herein describe a simple alternative without using photocat-alyst or additive for the hydrodifluoromethylation of alkenes, through photoactivation of difluoromethyl-triphenylphosphonium iodide salt. Mechanistic studies shed light on how the transformation takes place.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

Photoredox-catalyzed hydrodifluoromethylation is an effective method for introducing difluoromethyl groups into organic molecules. This study presents a simple alternative approach for the hydrodifluoromethylation of alkenes by photoactivating difluoromethyl-triphenylphosphonium iodide salt, without utilizing photocatalysts or additives. Mechanistic studies provide insights into the reaction pathway.