Metal-free defluorinative silylation of α-CF3-styrenes with silyl carboxylic acid by photo-redox catalysis

A novel photo-redox catalysis method for synthesizing gem-difluoro-allylsilanes has been developed through the reaction between silyl carboxylic acid and α-CF3-styrenes. This transformation features metal-free catalyst, easy manipulation, mild reaction conditions, and good functional group tolerance. The synthetic utility of this strategy has been demonstrated by the late-stage modification of bioactive molecules and some product-transformations.