Selective C-F Bond Activation And Functionalization Of Fluoroaryl Imines

C-F bond is one of the strongest single bonds in organic compounds. Because of the chemical and kinetic inertness of fluorinated compounds caused by the small size and high electronegativity of fluorine atom, fluorinated compounds are of current interest as valuable pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, polymers and some other advanced materials. As a result, there has been increasing interest in the synthesis of selectively substituted fluorocarbons through the activation of C-F bonds with commercially available polyfluoroarenes or perfluoroarenes. This is not only a way to higher-value fluorinated compounds but also meaningful to the degradation of fluorinated inert substances.Transition-metal catalyzed C-F bond activation and functionalization have attracted much interest. Most are stoichiometric reactions and hydrodefluorination. Few examples of catalytic cross-coupling reactions via C-F bond activation have been reported. Among these articles, Nickel is the only base-metal that shows great potential in C-F bond activation. Therefore, the catalytic conversion of C-F bond into C-C bond by nickel complexes is of great importance. In addition, Schiff bases as well as their metal complexes are found useful in various fields e.g. catalysts, biological activity, analysis, corrosion. So, the diversification of Schiff bases especially the ones with fluorine are of great importance.