A "Renaissance" in radical trifluoromethylation.

This Minireview highlights recent developments in radical trifluoromethylation reactions. The trifluoromethyl group belongs to the privileged moieties in medicinal chemistry. Many drugs and drug candidates contain a trifluoromethyl substituent. Also in agrochemicals, the CF(3) moiety often appears. The present article addresses the radical trifluoromethylation of alkenes and arenes mainly focussing on recent achievements. However, important earlier work in this field is also covered.