Visible-Light-Driven C-F Bond Cleavage in Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids: Readily Accessible Ruthenium-Bipyridine Complexes as Effective Catalysts
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026
![[(DPEPhos)(bcp)Cu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
[(DPEPhos)(bcp)Cu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst
Published on: May 21, 2019
Ashan S Wickramaarachchi1, Ishan D Jayampathi1, Maggie M Larson1
1Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, United States.
Abstract:
Herein, we report the reaction discovery and mechanistic studies of a visible-light-driven defluorination reaction of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), a major class of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) widely present in the environment that pose significant health and environmental concerns. The developed reaction employs 1-5 mol % of commercially available or readily accessible Ru-bipyridine complexes as the catalyst and achieves efficient C-F bond cleavage for C2-C8 PFCAs, perfluorinated dicarboxylic acids, and partially fluorinated carboxylic acids. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds via an inner-sphere pathway involving light-driven steps such as solvent-promoted ligand dissociation and Ru-O homolysis.
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