Visible-light-induced C–H trifluoromethylation of several nitrogen heterocycles with CF3Br

Abstract

A visible-light-induced effective strategy for C–H trifluoromethylation of several nitrogen heterocycles with CF₃Br in the presence of 3DBA2FBN and K₂CO₃ has been developed, which efficiently provided trifluoromethylated nitrogen heterocycles, including indoles, imidazoles, indazoles, uracils, quinazolinones, quinoxalinones, pirfenidone, pentoxifylline, caffeine and theophylline, in good yields under mild conditions. In particular, the industrially available and cheap CF₃Br is used as a trifluoromethylation reagent in this process, endowing the process with the potential to be used on a large scale. The mechanism was proposed based on the control experiments. The protocol also has the advantages of good prospects for industrial applications, broad substrate scope and green energy sources.