Cobalt-Catalyzed C-F Bond Borylation of Aryl Fluorides.

A mild and practical cobalt-catalyzed defluoroborylation of fluoroarenes is presented for the first time. The method permits straightforward functionalization of fluoroarenes, with high selectivity for borylation of C-F over C-H bonds, and a tolerance for aerobic conditions. Furthermore, two-step 18F-fluorination was achieved for expanding the scope of 18F-positron emission tomography probes.