Cyclic C-F-Metal Containig Species: Solid State and Computational Examples

This article examines the results of research published between 2000 and 2012, which found experimental evidence of cyclic species containing the fragment carbon-fluorine-transition metal. 25 Examples (numbered throughout this paper) with 20 different metals and a wide variety of chemical environments have been gathered. A similar analysis brings together almost 40 transitional states and intermediates resulting from theoretical work studying the transition metal mediated carbon-fluorine bond activation. Among other aspects, this review is useful to recognize the specific characteristics which determine whether the C-F activation process is carried out through a concerted process, a mechanism assisted by auxiliary ligands or by free radicals.