Silver-Mediated Perfluoroalkylation of Terminal Alkynes with Perfluoroalkyl Iodides

The incorporation of a perfluoroalkyl group (RF) into drug candidates has become an increasingly important strategy in drug molecule design. In this study, the silver-mediated perfluoroalkylation reaction based on the addition–elimination process of terminal alkynes which was initiated by a perfluoroalkyl radical to form a C­(sp)–RF bond has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions using readily available, low-cost perfluoroalkyl iodides as the sources of the RF group. This method allows access to a variety of perfluoroalkylated alkynes.