Reactions of gem-Difluorinated Phosphonium Salts Induced by Light

gem-Difluorinated phosphonium salts, which are readily obtained from aldehydes and difluoromethylene phosphobetaine, can serve as a source of radicals under reductive conditions. An iridium complex or Hantzsch ester was used as a one-electron reducing agent when irradiated with visible light. The fluorinated radicals were trapped with various alkenes, leading to products either via a photoredox cycle (for the iridium catalyst) or via a hydrogen atom transfer (for the Hantzsch ester).