Visible‐Light‐Driven Regioselective Di‐ and Tri‐fluoromethylative Benzylation Reaction of 1,1‐Diphenylethylenes

Herein, we report a facile methodology for a visible light-induced three-component regioselective di- and tri-fluoromethylative benzylation reaction of 1,1-diphenylethylenes via the deamination of benzylamines. The key step of this approach is the formation of an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex between sodium di/tri-fluoromethanesulfinate and the Katritzky salt. Subsequently, a single electron transfer occurs within the EDA complex, generating di/tri fluoromethyl and benzyl radicals, which results in the formation of valuable quaternary carbon-containing di/trifluoromethylated molecules in a single step. By strategically choosing di/trifluoromethyl as a transient radical over the benzyl radical, a regioselective three-component radical-radical cross-coupling reaction has been achieved. Mechanistic investigations suggest that the reaction proceeds via a radical pathway.