Selective Hydrodefluorination of Hexafluoropropene to 
Industrially Relevant Hydrofluoroolefins

The selective hydrodefluorination of hexafluoropropene to 
HFO-1234ze and HFO-1234yf can be achieved by reaction with simple group 13 hydrides of the form EH3L (E = B, Al; L = SMe2, NMe3). The chemoselectivity varies depending on the nature of the group 13 element. A combination of experiments and DFT calculations show that competitive nucleophilic vinylic substitution and addition-elimination mechanisms involving hydroborated intermediates lead to complementary selectivities.