Iron-catalyzed electrochemical C-H perfluoroalkylation of arenes

A new iron-catalyzed reaction for the coupling of perfluoroalkyl iodides (RFI) with aromatic substrates is described. The perfluoroalkylated arene products are obtained in good to excellent yields in the presence of a [(bpy)Fe(II)] catalyst (10%) electrochemically regenerated or generated from [(bpy)Fe(III)] at room temperature. The development, scope, and preliminary mechanistic studies of these transformations are reported.