Exhaustive Hydrodefluorination or Deuterodefluorination of Trifluoromethylarenes via Metal-Free Photoredox Catalysis

Org Lett. 2024 Feb 2;26(4):928-932. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c04265. Epub 2024 Jan 25.

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl compounds are persistent environmental pollutants due to their chemical and thermal stability. Hydrodefluorination is one of the most promising strategies for the disposal of fluorine-containing compounds, which has attracted much attention from a broad spectrum of scientific communities. Herein, we disclose a metal-free, visible-light-promoted protocol for the exhaustive hydrodefluorination of a wide variety of trifluoromethylarenes with up to 95% yields. Moreover, methyl-d3 groups can be obtained via deuterium water with a D ratio of up to 94%.