Redox‐Convertible Groups to Expand the Substrate Scope for Pentafluorosulfanylation of Styrenes by Photocatalytic Activation of Sulfur Hexafluoride

The photocatalytic activation of sulfur hexafluoride, SF$_6$, is an important synthetic method to access pentafluorosulfanylated organic compounds because of the nontoxic properties of this gas. However, the redox properties of the organic substrates must fit to the photoredox cycle for the activation of SF$_6$. Strong electron-donating groups turned α-phenyl styrenes into a redox-inactive state. These substrates has to be converted into redox-active derivatives by reversible modifications of the critical substituents. This concept of redox-convertible substituents has been successfully applied to expand the substrate scope for the pentafluorosulfanylation of α-phenyl and α-methyl styrenes by using SF$_6$