Copper(0)-mediated fluoroalkylation of iodobenzene with 2-bromo-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl compounds: Investigation on the influence of R substituent on the reactivity of RCF2Cu species

•The copper(0)-mediated reaction between aryl iodides and 2-bromo-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl compounds has been investigated.•A general method for the synthesis of tetrafluoroethylene-containing compounds has been developed.•A comparison with other fluoroalkylation reactions disclosed the crucial role of R on the reactivity of RCF2Cu species.

We have made a systematic investigation on the copper(0)-mediated tetrafluoroethylenation of iodobenzene with structurally diverse 2-bromo-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl compounds. A comparison of this reaction with 1,2,2-trifluoro-1-phenylethylation and the known functionalized difluoroalkylation demonstrates that the substituent R of α,α-difluoroalkyl copper species RCF2Cu plays a crucial role on their reactivity, which is believed to be useful for the development of new fluoroalkylation reactions under the promotion of transition metals.

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