Vicinal halo-trifluoromethylation of alkenes

Both trifluoromethyl and halide groups are widely found in medicinally and pharmaceutically important compounds and, moreover, organohalides are commonly used as versatile intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry. Due to their prevalence and easy accessibility, alkene halo-trifluoromethylation provides a convenient way to install these valuable functionalities in complex targets. In this review, we summarize recent advances and achievements in this fast-growing research field. For clarity, the reactions were classified according to the type of halogen atom.