Hydrogen-Atom Transfer Catalysis for C-H Alkylation of Benzylic Fluorides

Org Lett. 2022 May 6;24(17):3134-3137. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.2c00817. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Abstract

A photoinduced catalytic C(sp3)-H alkylation of benzylic fluorides is developed. The use of zwitterionic 1,2,3-triazolium amidate as a hydrogen-atom transfer catalyst is uniquely effective for promoting this transformation. The combination of C-H alkylation with subsequent displacement of the C-F bond enables 1,1-difunctionalization of benzylic fluorides, providing rapid access to an array of functionalized molecular entities.