Practical photocatalytic trifluoromethylation and hydrotrifluoromethylation of styrenes in batch and flow

Styrenes represent a challenging class of substrates for current radical trifluoromethylation and hydrotrifluoromethylation methods due to a myriad of potential side reactions. Herein, we describe the development of mild, selective and broadly applicable photocatalytic trifluoromethylation and hydrotrifluoromethylation protocols for these challenging substrates. The methods use fac-Ir(ppy)3, visible light and inexpensive CF3I and can be applied to a diverse set of vinylarene substrates. The use of continuous-flow photochemical reaction conditions allowed to reduce the reaction time and increase the reaction selectivity.