Nucleophilic Trifluoromethylation Reactions Involving Copper(I) Species: From Organometallic Insights to Scope

Over the last decades, trifluoromethyl copper(I) complexes have played a key role as reactive species in C–CF3 bond-forming reactions. This Short Review not only covers selected examples of relevant copper-mediated or catalyzed nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reactions, which is one of the most active fields in organic synthesis, but also provides a comprehensive picture of the real behavior of these copper species, including ubiquitous cuprates, in the reaction media. 1 Introduction 2 Historical Perspective of the Identification of Relevant Trifluoro- methyl Copper(I) Species 3 In Situ Generation of Active Trifluoromethyl Copper(I) Species 4 Well-Defined Active Trifluoromethyl Copper(I) Complexes 5 Recent Advances on the Performance of Trifluoromethylation Protocols 6 Conclusions