Anaerobic 1,2-/1,3-Hydroxytrifluoromethylation of Unactivated Alkenes Enabled by Photoexcited Nitroarenes

Abstract

An anaerobic 1,2-/1,3-hydroxytrifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes is described. This reaction proceeds in mild and environmentally friendly conditions without photocatalyst and metal catalyst, allowing access to a wide range of β- and γ-trifluoromethyl alcohols. Preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate that the accomplishment of this protocol relies on the dual functionality of the photoexcited triplet nitroarenes, which serve as the oxygen atom source and enable the single-electron transfer (SET) process with CF₃SO₂Na.