Recent advances in visible-light-induced defluorinative functionalization of α-trifluoromethyl arylalkenes

Abstract

Fluorine-containing organic molecules have been widely utilized in the fields of medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, agrochemistry and materials science, due to their higher lipophilicity, metabolic stability, cell membrane permeability, bioactivity, and other advantageous properties. Among these, gem-difluoroalkenes have emerged as privileged carbonyl bioisosteres in drug design, exemplified by antimalarial difluoroartemisinin derivatives. Recent breakthroughs in visible-light photocatalysis have enabled mild, radical-mediated allylic defluorination of these substrates through single-electron transfer (SET) processes followed by β-fluorine elimination. This review highlights cutting-edge photochemical strategies (2022–2025) for constructing gem-difluoroalkenes, emphasizing mechanistic insights and functional group compatibility. The development of these sustainable methods addresses critical challenges in fluoroorganic synthesis while expanding accessible molecular diversity for medicinal applications.