Catalytic Hydrodefluorination of C−F Bonds by an Air‐Stable P^III Lewis Acid

Abstract

Catalytic hydrodefluorination (HDF) of unactivated fluoroalkanes or CF₃ -substituted aryl species is performed using the P^III Lewis acids, [(bipy)PPh]²⁺ (1²⁺ ) and [(terpy)PPh]²⁺ (2²⁺ ) under mild conditions (25 or 50 °C). Mechanistic studies indicate that activation of C-F bond by the P^III center is key. Particularly noteworthy is that the catalyst 2[B(C₆ F₅ )₄ ]₂ is air-stable and readily accessible from bench-stable, commercially available reagents in one-step and can be used without isolation.