Catalytic Iodination of the Aliphatic C–F Bond by YbI3(THF)3: Mechanistic Insight and Synthetic Utility

A facile iodination protocol of unactivated alkyl fluorides using catalytic amounts of YbI3(THF)3 in the presence of iodotrimethylsilane as a stoichiometric fluoride trapping agent is presented. 1H NMR spectroscopy demonstrates a two-step catalytic cycle where TMSI regenerates active YbI3(THF)3. Finally, the catalytic reaction is extended into a one-pot procedure to demonstrate a potential application of the method. Overall, the findings present a distinct strategy for C–F bond transformations in the presence of catalytic YbI3(THF)3.