Photochemical and electrochemical strategies in C-F bond activation and functionalization

The activation and functionalization of C-F bonds under mild conditions can serve as an important tool for organic syntheses including the modification of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals and the synthesis of value-added chemicals. However, owing to their high energy and low activity, C-F bonds are difficult to activate. Thus, the direct activation of the C-F bond under mild or transition-metal-free conditions is a challenging research topic. Recently, photochemical or electrochemical C-F bond activation and functionalization has been evaluated as a scalable and sustainable approach that applies photons or electricity, respectively, to replace dangerous chemical oxidants or metal catalysts. To date, the achievements in this field have attracted great attention; however, reviews on photochemical or electrochemical C-F bond activation and functionalization are scarce. In this review, we summarize the recent significant developments in this rapidly growing area, mainly focusing on the reaction design and mechanisms.