Cobalt-Catalyzed Intramolecular Fluoroalkylative Carbonylation of Unactivated Alkenes

A cobalt-catalyzed intramolecular fluoroalkylative carbonylation of unactivated alkenes has been developed, enabling the highly regioselective synthesis of fluoroalkylated γ-lactones in good yields. The mild reaction conditions exhibit good functional group tolerance, and the reaction can be performed on a large scale. Preliminary mechanistic investigations support a radical pathway in which a cationic acylcobalt(IV) complex is proposed as the key intermediate.