Visible Light-Promoted Phosphine-Catalyzed Difluoroalkylation of Arenes and Heterocycles

J Org Chem. 2020 Jan 17;85(2):942-951. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02882. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Abstract

A visible light-promoted difluoroalkylation reaction of arenes or heterocycles, using triaryl phosphine as the catalyst and difluoroalkyl iodide as the alkylating agent, is presented. The strategy is highlighted by photocatalyst-free, mild reaction conditions and a broad substrate scope. Mechanistic experiments indicate that this reaction involves a radical-chain process that is initiated by an electron donor-acceptor complex formed from difluoroalkyl iodide and phosphine.