Zhanghong Wang; Yu Sun; Liu-Yu Shen; Wen-Chao Yang; Fei Meng; Pinhua Li
Org. Chem. Front., 2022, 9, 853-873
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1QO01512E

Abstract

The activation and functionalization of C-F bonds under mild conditions can serve as an important tool for organic syntheses including the modification of pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals and the synthesis of value-added chemicals. The C–F bond with high energy and low activity, however, is difficult to be activated. Thus, the direct activation of the C-F bond under mild or transition-metal free conditions is a challenging research topic. Recently, the photochemical or electrochemical C−F bond activation and functionalization has been evaluated as a scalable and sustainable approach that applies photo or electricity to replace dangerous chemical oxidants or metal catalysts. To date, the achivement made in this field has attracted great attention, however, reviews on the photochemical or electrochemical C−F bond activation and functionalization are scarce. In this review, we summarize recent significant developments in this rapidly growing area, mainly focusing on reaction design and reaction mechanisms.