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Copper-Catalyzed Electrochemical C-H Fluorination.

Heather HintzJamey BowerJinghua TangMatthew LaLamaChristo SevovShiyu Zhang
Published in: Chem catalysis (2023)
We report the systematic development of an electrooxidative methodology that translates stoichiometric C-H fluorination reactivity of an isolable Cu III fluoride complex into a catalytic process. The critical challenges of electrocatalysis with a highly reactive Cu III species were addressed by the judicious selection of electrolyte, F - source, and sacrificial electron acceptor. Catalyst-controlled C-H fluorination occurs with a preference for hydridic C-H bonds with high bond dissociation energies over weaker but less hydridic C-H bonds. The selectivity is driven by an oxidative asynchronous proton-coupled elelctron transfer (PCET) at an electrophilic Cu III -F complex. We further demonstrate that the asynchronicity factor of hydrogen atom transfer η can be used as a guideline to rationalize the selectivity of C-H fluorination.
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