Remote Fluorination and Fluoroalkyl(thiol)ation Reactions

Abstract

Remote functionalization reactions have the power to transform a C-H (or C-C) bond at a distant position from a functional group. This Review summarizes recent advances and key breakthroughs in remote fluorination, trifluoromethylation, difluoromethylation, trifluoromethylthiolation, and fluoroalkenylation reactions. Several powerful strategies have emerged to control the reactivity and distal selectivity such as the undirected radical approach, the 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer, the metal migration, the use of distant directing groups, and the ring-opening reactions. These unconventional and predictable C-H (and C-C) functionalization transformations should allow for the preparation of a wide range of otherwise-difficult-to-access alkyl, aromatic, heteroaromatic, and structurally complex fluorides.

Keywords: 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer; fluorination; fluoroalkyl(thiol)ation; metal migration; remote functionalization.