SINGLE ELECTRON-TRANSFER PROCESSES IN PERFLUOROALKYL HALIDES REACTIONS

Reactions of nucleophiles, radical anions or metals with perfluoroalkyl bromides or iodides, which follow an electron-transfer (ET) mechanism, are reviewed. The nature of this step (classical, dissociative or associative ET) is not known with certainty. Proofs of the existence of an intermediate radical are based on inhibition and capture experiments. These reactions allow the preparation of fluorinated products, such as alpha-perfluoroalkyl ketones, perfluoroalkyl sulfides, perfluoroalkane sulfinates and perfluoroalkyl aromatic compounds.