Breaking C−F bonds catalytically under moderate conditions is of fundamental interest as such conversions can provide new reaction pathways to otherwise not accessible fluorinated building blocks.[1] Catalytic C−F bond activation reactions in the homogeneous phase on using silylium-ions in combination with hydrogen sources like silanes have attracted great attention.[2] Comparable reactions using heterogeneous catalysts are still rare. Aluminum chlorofluoride (ACF)[3] is one of the strongest known solid Lewis acids and it has been shown that it is capable to catalyze H/D exchange reactions[4] as well as hydroarylation reactions[5]. Furthermore ACF can be employed as a highly efficient heterogeneous C−F bond activation catalyst in the presence of silanes. For fluorinated methanes, C−F bonds can be converted into either C−H or C−C bonds with TONs up to 400.[6] The crucial step is the formation of a “ACF…H−SiEt3” surface species. In extending this strategy to hydrodechlorination reactions[7] and in employing Pulse® thermal analysis[8], mechanistic details could be revealed indicating a classical Eley-Rideal mechanism if the reactants are provided via the gas phase.

Employing silylium-ion like surface species as a potent hydrodehalogenation catalyst

255th National Meeting (2018)

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