Progress in fluoroalkylation of organic compounds via sulfinatodehalogenation initiation system

Abstract

The sulfinatodehalogenation reaction represents one of the most important methodologies to incorporate fluorine into organic molecules. Using inexpensive sulfur-containing reactants such as Na₂S₂O₄ under mild conditions, per- and polyfluoroalkyl halides (R_FX, X = Br, I, CCl₃) can be transformed smoothly into the corresponding sulfinate salts. This method is also used for the perfluoroalkylation of alkenes, dienes, alkynes and aromatics. Notably, after 1998, the sulfinatodehalogenation of perfluoroalkyl chlorides (R_FCl) has been realized by using dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent instead of CH₃CN/H₂O in the Na₂S₂O₄/NaHCO₃ initiation system. Perfluoroalkyl chlorides, ethyl chlorofluoroacetates and chlorodifluoroacetates, and even nonfluorinated compounds, such as ethyl chloro- or dichloroacetates and chloroform, were either converted into the corresponding sulfinate salts or alkylated alkenes, alkynes and aromatics (including porphyrins). The sulfinatodehalogenation reaction has remarkable advantages. With the increasing demands to utilize the unique properties of fluorine and fluorinated functional groups in medicinal, agricultural and material sciences, we believe that there will continue to be useful developments in sulfinatodehalogenation chemistry and it will be applied more widely in the future.