Recent advance in the C-F bond functionalization of trifluoromethyl-containing compounds

The C-F bond is the strongest single bond in organic compounds. It is the most challenging task to study the activation of the C-F bond in organic synthesis. Trifluoromethyl-containing compounds, which have three equivalent C-F bonds, constitute possible starting materials for the synthesis of diverse fluorinated compounds through selective C-F bond activation. In the past decades, significant progress has been made in the C-F bond activation of trifluoromethyl-containing compounds, mainly including trifluoromethylalkenes, trifluoromethylated aromatic and alkyl compounds, trifluoromethylketones, diazo compounds and N-tosylhydrazones of trifluoromethyl ketones, alkyltriflones, etc. In this review, we systematically summarized the C-F bond functionalization of these trifluoromethylated compounds, and their mechanisms were also discussed.

Automated summary

Activation of C-F bonds in trifluoromethyl-containing compounds is a challenging task in organic synthesis, with significant progress being made in the past decades mainly involving trifluoromethylalkenes, trifluoromethylated aromatic and alkyl compounds, among others.