Metal‐Catalyzed Direct Difluoromethylation Reactions

Owing to the excellent performance of fluorinated compounds in the areas of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials chemistry, organic chemists have made great efforts towards the selective incorporation of fluorine or fluorinated moieties into organic molecules through nucleophilic, electrophilic, radical, and metal‐catalyzed pathways. Impressive progress in fluorination and perfluoroalkylation (especially trifluoromethylation) reactions has been made over the past few decades. However, methods for incorporating lightly fluorinated groups (such as −CF 2 H) are still underdeveloped, in spite of their important applications in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. This Focus Review summarizes recent developments in metal‐catalyzed direct difluoromethylation reactions.