Chemical Strategies for the Cleavage of the C(sp³)−F Bonds in Perfluoroalkyl Groups

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been recognized as environmental pollutants. Hence, their efficient and mild destruction is a significant research interest. While many research articles and review papers have reported the cleavage of the C(sp2)–F bonds, single C(sp3)–F bond, and CF3 groups in PFAS, in this study, limited and emerging examples of a longer perfluoroalkyl group containing at least one repeating unit of 1,1,2,2‐tetrafluoroethylene was focused. In this Concept, we summarized recent progress on the chemical defluorination of PFAS via the cleavage of unactivated C(sp3)–F bonds in longer perfluoroalkyl groups under mild conditions (~150 °C). In addition to classical reductive defluorination, strategies featuring Lewis acid activation and the transient generation of an unsaturated bond were described.