Recently, the research team led by Chen Zhu at the Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has achieved significant research progress. Their work, entitled "Modular access to alkylfluorides via radical decarboxylative-desulfonylative gem-difunctionalization", has been published in Nature Communications.

Article abstract:

Fluorine-containing compounds hold pivotal importance in life sciences. Recent decades have witnessed significant research efforts toward developing practical fluorination methods. Radical-mediated decarboxylative fluorination has proven to be a robust approach for incorporating diverse monofluoroalkyl groups. Here we show a radical-mediated modular synthesis of alkyl fluorides through a decarboxylative-desulfonylative gem-difunctionalization under mild photochemical conditions. The multi-component reaction proceeds in a controlled sequence of radical decarboxylation and heteroaryl migration, governed by radical polarity and kinetic effects, resulting in a wide range of valuable alkyl fluorides. Two C-C bonds and one C-F bond are concurrently formed throughout the process. Both styrenes and aliphatic alkenes serve as suitable substrates for this transformation. Furthermore, this method can be applied to the incorporation of a monofluoroalkyl moiety into complex alkene molecules at a late stage.