RECENT ADVANCES IN PHOTOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF FLUORINE-CONTAINING HETEROCYCLES (review).

• Datum: 2026
• Hauptverfasser: Wzorek, Alicja, Ono, Taizo, Baecker, Daniel, Zhang, Wei, Soloshonok, Vadim
• Format: Artikel
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlicht: V.I.Vernadsky Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry 2026
• Online Zugang: https://ucj.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/768
• Назва журналу: Ukrainian Chemistry Journal

Fluorine-containing heterocycles occupy a central position in pharmaceutical, agroche­mical, and materials science due to their unique physicochemical properties and broad functional relevance. The pursuit of efficient and sustainable synthetic methodologies has catalyzed the emergence of photochemistry as a compelling alternative to conventional thermal, acid–base, or redox-based approaches. Indeed, many of the transformations highlighted in this review would be unattainable under traditional reaction conditions, underscoring the distinctive reactivity enabled by light-driven processes. This review surveys key advances over the past decade in the photochemical synthesis of fluorinated heterocyclic compounds. It begins with an overview of fundamental photoche­mical principles and the most commonly employed photocatalysts. The discussion then proceeds to categorize reactions into unimolecular, bimolecular, and trimolecular classes.  Unimolecular (intramolecular) reactions typically involve the cyclization of strategically designed substrates capable of forming heterocyclic frameworks upon photoactivation. Unimolecular (intramolecular) reactions represent the most prevalent class, wherein two distinct components contribute complementary fragments to construct the target heterocycle. Trimolecular (three-component) photochemical reactions, by contrast, are exceedingly rare due to the inherent mechanistic, kinetic, and spatial constraints associated with three-body interactions under photochemical conditions. For each transformation discussed, we detail the photocatalyst employed, the irradiation source, reaction conditions, and the specific fluorination pattern introduced. Photochemistry redefines light not merely as an energy source but as a precise and sustainable reagent—unlocking synthetic pathways with elegance, selectivity, and minimal environmental impact. This work aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners seeking to harness photochemical strategies for the synthesis of fluorinated heterocycles, with an emphasis on catalytic efficiency, structural diversity, and ecological responsibility.