Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Utilization of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF 6 ) as an SF 5 Radical Source
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) is a potent greenhouse gas widely used in industry, but its chemical inertness has limited its use as a source of pentafluorosulfanyl (SF 5 ) groups. We report herein a visible-light-driven photocatalytic transformation that enables SF 6 to function as an SF 5 radical source for the synthesis of SF 5 enamides under ambient pressure. Using ynamides as radical acceptors, a range of β-SF 5 -substituted enamides were obtained under mild conditions in moderate to good yields. Mechanistic studies support the involvement of SF 5 radical intermediates and a hydrogen atom transfer process rather than a radical chain pathway. The resulting SF 5 enamides could be further transformed into diverse functionalized products, demonstrating their synthetic utility. This work highlights the potential of SF 6 as a practical SF 5 radical source for constructing valuable SF 5 -containing organic molecules under photocatalytic conditions. This work provides a new strategy for the direct utilization of SF 6 in synthetic organic chemistry.
Source: Organic Letters
Institution: Gakushuin University
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162190052