A comparative computational study of the homolytic and heterolytic bond dissociation energies involved in the activation step of ATRP and SET‐LRP of vinyl monomers

A quantum‐chemical calculation of the homolytic and heterolytic bond dissociation energies of the model compounds of the monomer and dimer is reported. These model compounds include the dormant chloride, bromide, and iodide species for representative activated and nonactivated monomers containing electron‐withdrawing groups as well as for a nonactivated monomer containing an electron‐donor group. Two examples of sulfonyl and N‐halide initiators are also reported. The homolytic inner‐sphere electron‐transfer bond dissociation is known as atom transfer and is responsible for the activation step in ATRP. The heterolytic outer sphere single electron transfer bond dissociation is responsible for the activation step in single electron transfer mediated living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP). The results of this study demonstrated much lower bond dissociation energies for the outer sphere single electron transfer processes. These results explain the higher rate constant of activation, the higher apparent rate constant of propagation, and the lower polymerization temperature for both activated and nonactivated monomers containing electron‐withdrawing groups in SET‐LRP. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1607–1618, 2007     

Mechanism of carbon-halogen bond reductive cleavage in activated alkyl halide initiators relevant to living radical polymerization: theoretical and experimental study

The mechanism of reductive cleavage of model alkyl halides (methyl 2-bromoisobutyrate, methyl 2-bromopropionate, and 1-bromo-1-chloroethane), used as initiators in living radical polymerization (LRP), has been investigated in acetonitrile using both experimental and computational methods. Both theoretical and experimental investigations have revealed that dissociative electron transfer to these alkyl halides proceeds exclusively via a concerted rather than stepwise manner. The reductive cleavage of all three alkyl halides requires a substantial activation barrier stemming mainly from the breaking C-X bond. The activation step during single electron transfer LRP (SET-LRP) was originally proposed to proceed via formation and decomposition of RX(?-) through an outer sphere electron transfer (OSET) process (Guliashvili, T.; Percec, V. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2007, 45, 1607). These radical anion intermediates were proposed to decompose via heterolytic rather than homolytic C-X bond dissociation. Here it is presented that injection of one electron into RX produces only a weakly associated charge-induced donor-acceptor type radical anion complex without any significant covalent σ type bond character between carbon-centered radical and associated anion leaving group. Therefore, neither homolytic nor heterolytic bond dissociation applies to the reductive cleavage of C-X in these alkyl halides inasmuch as a true radical anion does not form in the process. In addition, the whole mechanism of SET-LRP has to be revisited since it is based on presumed OSET involving intermediate RX(?-), which is shown here to be nonexistent.     

Alkyl chloride initiators for SET‐LRP of methyl acrylate

Single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) proceeds by an outer‐sphere single‐electron transfer mechanism that induces a heterolytic bond cleavage of the initiating and propagating R‐X (where X = Cl, Br, and I) species. Therefore, unlike the homolytic bond cleavage mechanism claimed for ATRP, SET‐LRP is expected to show a small dependence of the nature of the halide group on the apparent rate constant of activation. This means the R‐X with X = Cl, Br, and I must all be efficient initiators for SET‐LRP and no chain transfer must be observed in the case of initiators with X = Br and I. Here, we report the SET‐LRP of methyl acrylate initiated with the alkyl chlorides methyl‐2‐chloropropionate (MCP) and chloroform (CHCl₃) and catalyzed by Cu(0)/Me₆‐TREN/CuCl₂ in DMSO at 25 °C. A combination of kinetic and structural analysis was used to elucidate the MCP and CHCl₃ initiating behavior under SET‐LRP conditions, and to demonstrate the very small dependence of the SET‐LRP apparent rate constant of propagation on X while providing polymers with well defined architecture. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4917–4926, 2008     

Improving the initiation efficiency in the single electron transfer living radical polymerization of methyl acrylate with electronic chain‐end mimics

Computational studies on the heterolytic bond dissociation energies and electron affinities of methyl 2‐bromopropionate (MBP) and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) in the dissociative electron transfer (DET) step of single electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) of methyl acrylate (MA) combined with kinetic experiments were performed in an effort to design the most efficient initiation system. This study suggests that EBiB is more effective than MBP in the SET‐LRP of acrylates catalyzed by Cu(0) wire, thus being a true electronic mimic of the dormant PMA species. EBiB allows for a more predictable dependence of the molecular weight evolution and distribution. This is exemplified by the absence of a deviation in the PMA molecular weight from theoretical values at low conversions, as a result of a faster SET activation with EBiB than with MBP. The enhanced control over molecular weight evolution was also observed in the SET‐LRP of MA initiated with bifunctional initiators similar in structure to MBP and EBiB, suggesting a higher reactivity than MBP in the SET activation, which matches closely that of the polymer dormant chains. The use of bifunctional initiators in conjunction with activated Cu(0) wire in SET‐LRP allows for dramatically accelerated polymerizations, although still providing for exceptional control of the molecular weight evolution and distribution. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Designing functional aromatic multisulfonyl chloride initiators for complex organic synthesis by living radical polymerization

The similarities and differences between sulfonyl chloride and alkyl halide initiators for metal‐catalyzed living radical polymerizations are discussed. The differences in the rates of formation, reactivities, and reactions of primary radicals derived from sulfonyl halides and alkyl halides demonstrated the design principles for monosulfonyl and multisulfonyl chlorides that provided quantitative initiation and higher rates of initiation than of propagation. Multifunctional initiators with two, three, four, six, and eight sulfonyl chloride groups that produced perfect star polymers in 95% conversions were designed and synthesized on the basis of these principles. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4776–4791, 2000     

Dipolar DC induced collisional activation of non‐dissociated electron‐transfer products

The application of electron transfer and dipolar direct current induced collisional activation (ET‐DDC) for enhanced sequence coverage of peptide/protein cations is described. A DDC potential is applied across one pair of opposing rods in the high‐pressure collision cell of a hybrid quadrupole/time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometer (QqTOF) to induce collisional activation, in conjunction with electron transfer reactions. As a broadband technique, DDC can be employed for the simultaneous collisional activation of all the first‐generation charge‐reduced precursor ions (eg, electron transfer no‐dissociation or ETnoD products) from electron transfer reactions over a relatively broad mass‐to‐charge range. A systematic study of ET‐DDC induced collision activation on peptide/protein cations revealed an increase in the variety (and abundances) of sequence informative fragment ions, mainly c‐ and z‐type fragment ions, relative to products derived directly via electron transfer dissociation (ETD). Compared with ETD, which has low dissociation efficiency for low‐charge‐state precursor ions, ET‐DDC also showed marked improvement, providing a sequence coverage of 80% to 85% for all the charge states of ubiquitin. Overall, this method provides a simple means for the broadband collisional activation of ETnoD ions in the same collision cell in which they are generated for improved structural characterization of polypeptide and protein cations subjected to ETD.     

On the Radical Nature of Iron‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions

The radical nature of iron‐catalyzed cross‐coupling between Grignard reagents and alkyl halides has been studied by using a combination of competitive kinetic experiments and DFT calculations. In contrast to the corresponding coupling with aryl halides, which commences through a classical two‐electron oxidative addition/reductive elimination sequence, the presented data suggest that alkyl halides react through an atom‐transfer‐initiated radical pathway. Furthermore, a general iodine‐based quenching methodology was developed to enable the determination of highly accurate concentrations of Grignard reagents, a capability that facilitates and increases the information output of kinetic investigations based on these substrates.     

Reversed Electron Apportionment in Mesolytic Cleavage: The Reduction of Benzyl Halides by SmI2

The paradigm that the cleavage of the radical anion of benzyl halides occurs in such a way that the negative charge ends up on the departing halide leaving behind a benzyl radical is well rooted in chemistry. By studying the kinetics of the reaction of substituted benzylbromides and chlorides with SmI₂ in THF it was found that substrates para‐substituted with electron‐withdrawing groups (CN and CO₂Me), which are capable of forming hydrogen bonds with a proton donor and coordinating to samarium cation, react in a reversed electron apportionment mode. Namely, the halide departs as a radical. This conclusion is based on the found convex Hammett plots, element effects, proton donor effects, and the effect of tosylate (OTs) as a leaving group. The latter does not tend to tolerate radical character on the oxygen atom. In the presence of a proton donor, the tolyl derivatives were the sole product, whereas in its absence, the coupling dimer was obtained by a S_N2 reaction of the benzyl anion on the neutral substrate. The data also suggest that for the para‐CN and CO₂Me derivatives in the presence of a proton donor, the first electron transfer is coupled with the proton transfer.     

Kinetic study of free‐radical polymerization photoinitiated by cyanine‐borate salts. II.

A series of cyanine butyltriphenylborate salts were prepared and tested as initiators of free‐radical polymerization photoinitiated via a photoinduced electron‐transfer process. For the majority of the tested series, the highest rate of photoinitiated free‐radical polymerization was observed when sec‐butyl radicals were formed. Essentially, there was no influence of the quantum yield of the free‐radical formation on the rate of the free‐radical polymerization initiated by the cyanine‐borate salts. The experimental data revealed that the relationship between the rate of polymerization and the free energy change for the electron transfer displayed typical Marcus region kinetic behavior. The photoreduction of the cyanine butyltriphenylborate salts produced colorless products. The efficiency of the bleached‐dye formation had no effect on the overall efficiency of photoinitiated polymerization. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2365–2374, 2000     

Electron transfer dissociation versus collisionally activated dissociation of cationized biodegradable polyesters

Biodegradable polyesters were ionized by electrospray ionization and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry using collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) as activation methods. The compounds studied include one homopolymer, polylactide and two copolymers, poly(ethylene adipate) and poly(butylene adipate). CAD of [M+2Na]²⁺ ions from these polyesters proceeds via charge‐remote 1,5‐H rearrangements over the ester groups, leading to cleavages at the (CO)O–alkyl bonds. ETD of the same precursor ions creates a radical anion at the site of electron attachment, which fragments by radical‐induced cleavage of the (CO)O–alkyl bonds and by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution at the (CO)–O bonds. In contrast to CAD, ETD produces fragments in one charge state only and does not cause consecutive fragmentations, which simplifies spectral interpretation and permits conclusive identification of the correct end groups. The radical‐site reactions occurring during ETD are very similar with those reported for ETD of protonated peptides. Unlike multiply protonated species, multiply sodiated precursors form ion pairs (salt bridges) after electron transfer, thereby promoting dissociations via nucleophilic displacement in addition to the radical‐site dissociations typical in ETD. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unexpected Imidazoquinoxalinone Annulation Products in the Photoinitiated Reaction of Substituted‐3‐Methyl‐Quinoxalin‐2‐Ones with N‐Phenylglycine

Photoinduced electron transfer between N ‐phenylglycine (NPG) and electronically excited triplets of 7‐substituted‐3‐methyl‐quinoxalin‐2‐ones in acetonitrile generate the respective ion radical pair, where by decarboxylation the phenyl‐amino‐alkyl radical, PhNHCH₂?, is generated. This radical reacts with the 3‐methyl‐quinoxalin‐2‐ones ground states, leading to the product 2. Other, unexpected, 7‐substituted‐1,2,3,3a‐tetrahydro‐3a‐methyl‐2‐phenylimidazo[1,5‐a]quinoxalin‐4(5H)‐ones, annulation products, 3a–f, were generated; likely by the addition of two PhNHCH₂? radicals, to positions 3 and 4 of the quinoxalin‐2‐ones. The reaction mechanism includes a photoinduced one electron transfer initiation step, propagation steps involving radical intermediates and NPG with radical chain termination steps that lead to the respective products 2a–f and 3a–f and NPG by‐products. The proposed mechanism accounts for the strong dependency found for the initial photoconsumption quantum yields on the electron‐withdrawing power of the substituent. Therefore, photolysis of common reactants widely used such as NPG and substituted quinoxalin‐2‐ones may provide a simple synthetic way to the unusual, unreported tetrahydro‐imidazoquinoxalinones 3a–f.     

Unimolecular Reaction Mechanism of an Imidazolin‐2‐ylidene: An iPEPICO Study on the Complex Dissociation of an Arduengo‐Type Carbene

The photoionization and dissociative photoionization of Im(iPr)₂, 1,3‐diisopropylimidazolin‐2‐ylidene, was investigated by imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation. A lone‐pair electron of the carbene carbon atom is removed upon ionization and the molecular geometry changes significantly. Only 0.5 eV above the adiabatic ionization energy, IE_ad=7.52±0.1 eV, the carbene cation fragments, yielding propene or a methyl radical in parallel dissociation reactions with appearance energies of 8.22 and 8.17 eV, respectively. Both reaction channels appear at almost the same photon energy, suggesting a shared transition state. This is confirmed by calculations, which reveal the rate‐determining step as hydrogen‐atom migration from the isopropyl group to the carbene carbon center forming a resonance‐stabilized imidazolium ion. Above 10.5 eV, analogous sequential dissociation channels open up. The first propene‐loss fragment ion dissociates further and another methyl or propene is abstracted. Again, a resonance‐stabilized imidazolium ion acts as intermediate. The aromaticity of the system is enhanced even in vertical ionization. Indeed, the coincidence technique confirms that a real imidazolium ion is produced by hydrogen transfer over a small barrier. The simple analysis of the breakdown diagram yields all the clues to disentangle the complex dissociative photoionization mechanism of this intermediate‐sized molecule. Photoelectron photoion coincidence is a promising tool to unveil the fragmentation mechanism of larger molecules in mass spectrometry.     

Ring‐opening polymerization of 1,3‐benzoxazines by p‐toluenesulfonates as thermally latent initiators

p‐Toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) and several alkyl p‐toluenesulfonates, that is, methyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsOMe), cyclohexyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsOCH), and neopentyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsONP), were evaluated as initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazines. TsOH and TsOMe were highly efficient initiators that induced the polymerization at 60 and 80 °C, respectively. In contrast, TsOCH and TsONP did not initiate the polymerization below 100 °C, while they induced the polymerization at elevated temperatures, 120 and 150 °C, respectively. When TsOCH was used as an initiator, the corresponding polymerization rate was comparable to that observed for the polymerization with using TsOH as an initiator. These results suggested that neutral TsOCH and TsONP can be regarded as “thermally latent initiators,” which underwent the thermal dissociation at the elevated temperatures to generate the corresponding alkyl cations and/or TsOH as the initiators of the polymerization. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Dissociative electron transfer to haloacetonitriles. An example of the dependency of in-cage ion-radical interactions upon the leaving group

The reductive cleavage of the haloacetonitriles (Cl, Br, I) in DMF provides additional examples of the formation of a fragment cluster upon dissociative electron transfer, which is able to survive in this polar solvent thanks to the electron-withdrawing character of the cyano group. The remarkable sensitivity of the activation energy to small changes of the interaction energies allows, with help of the "sticky" dissociative electron-transfer model, the precise determination of interaction energies down to a few millielectronvolts from the cyclic voltammetric data. The interaction energy rapidly decreases from Cl to Br and to I, correlated with the increase of the halide radius. These observations add to the previously gathered evidence to confirm the existence of such interactions and to highlight their electrostatic character. This is further corroborated by the quantum chemical computation of the potential energy profiles, which exhibit a long-distance energy minimum. This revisiting of the notion of sigma-ion radicals and of their status in a polar medium makes them appear as an electrostatic radical-ion pair rather than covalently bound molecules. Their stability is a function of the Lewis acid-base properties of both the radical and the leaving ion and is strongly influenced by the nature of the solvent.     

Ab initio evaluation of the thermodynamic and electrochemical properties of alkyl halides and radicals and their mechanistic implications for atom transfer radical polymerization

High-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations are used to study the thermodynamics and electrochemistry relevant to the mechanism of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Homolytic bond dissociation energies (BDEs) and standard reduction potentials (SRPs) are reported for a series of alkyl halides (R-X; R = CH 2CN, CH(CH 3)CN, C(CH 3) 2CN, CH 2COOC 2H 5, CH(CH 3)COOCH 3, C(CH 3) 2COOCH 3, C(CH 3) 2COOC 2H 5, CH 2Ph, CH(CH 3)Ph, CH(CH 3)Cl, CH(CH 3)OCOCH 3, CH(Ph)COOCH 3, SO 2Ph, Ph; X = Cl, Br, I) both in the gas phase and in two common organic solvents, acetonitrile and dimethylformamide. The SRPs of the corresponding alkyl radicals, R (*), are also examined. The computational results are in a very good agreement with the experimental data. For all alkyl halides examined, it is found that, in the solution phase, one-electron reduction results in the fragmentation of the R-X bond to the corresponding alkyl radical and halide anion; hence it may be concluded that a hypothetical outer-sphere electron transfer (OSET) in ATRP should occur via concerted dissociative electron transfer rather than a two-step process with radical anion intermediates. Both the homolytic and heterolytic reactions are favored by electron-withdrawing substituents and/or those that stabilize the product alkyl radical, which explains why monomers such as acrylonitrile and styrene require less active ATRP catalysts than vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. The rate constant of the hypothetical OSET reaction between bromoacetonitrile and Cu (I)/TPMA complex was estimated using Marcus theory for the electron-transfer processes. The estimated rate constant k OSET = approximately 10 (-11) M (-1) s (-1) is significantly smaller than the experimentally measured activation rate constant ( k ISET = approximately 82 M (-1) s (-1) at 25 degrees C in acetonitrile) for the concerted atom transfer mechanism (inner-sphere electron transfer, ISET), implying that the ISET mechanism is preferred. For monomers bearing electron-withdrawing groups, the one-electron reduction of the propagating alkyl radical to the carbanion is thermodynamically and kinetically favored over the one-electron reduction of the corresponding alkyl halide unless the monomer bears strong radical-stabilizing groups. Thus, for monomers such as acrylates, catalysts favoring ISET over OSET are required in order to avoid chain-breaking side reactions.     

Slow geminate‐charge‐pair recombination dynamics at polymer: Fullerene heterojunctions in efficient organic solar cells

We explore charge recombination dynamics at electron donor‐acceptor heterojunctions, formed between a semiconductor polymer (PCDTBT) and a fullerene derivative (PC₇₀BM), by means of combined time‐resolved photoluminescence and transient absorption spectroscopies. Following prompt exciton dissociation across the heterojunction, a subset of bound electron‐hole pairs recombines with a temperature‐independent rate distribution spanning submicrosecond timescales to produce luminescent charge‐transfer excitons (CTX). At 14 K, this slow mechanism is the dominant geminate charge recombination pathway, whereas we also observe CTX emission on subnanosecond timescales at 293 K. We thus find that at these temperatures, a fraction of the initial charge‐pair population is trapped deeply such that they only recombine slowly over a broad distribution of timescales by quantum tunneling. We identify geminate polaron pairs (GPP) as a reservoir of long‐lived localized states that repopulate the CTX up to microsecond timescales. The observation of such distributed geminate‐charge recombination highlights the importance of the molecular nature of specific donor–acceptor electronic interactions in defining the relaxation pathways of trapped GPP. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Amine‐blocked polyisocyanates. I. Synthesis of novel N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates and deblocking studies using hot‐stage fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A series of substituted N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates based on 4,4′‐methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) and poly(tetrahydrofuran) were prepared and characterized thoroughly with FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy methods. Compared with unsubstituted N‐methylaniline, a blocking agent with an electron‐releasing substituent at the para position took a shorter time, whereas those with an electron‐releasing substituent at the ortho position or an electron‐withdrawing substituent at the ortho and para positions took longer times for the blocking reaction. The thermal dissociation reactions of blocked polyisocyanates were carried out with an FTIR spectrophotometer attached to hot‐stage accessories under dynamic and isothermal conditions. The dynamic method was used to determine the deblocking temperature, and the isothermal method was used to calculate the deblocking kinetics and activation parameters. The cure times of blocked polyisocyanates with hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene were also determined. The deblocking temperatures, the results of cure‐time studies, and the kinetic parameters revealed that the thermal dissociation of the N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates was retarded by electron‐donating substituents and facilitated by electron‐withdrawing substituents. The action of N‐methylanilines as blocking agents for isocyanate was explained by the formation of a four‐center, intramolecularly hydrogen‐bonded ring structure during the thermal dissociation of the blocked polyisocyanates. The formation of such a hydrogen‐bonded ring structure was confirmed and supported by variable‐temperature ¹H NMR studies and entropy parameters, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1557–1570, 2007     

From metal‐catalyzed radical telomerization to metal‐catalyzed radical polymerization of vinyl chloride: Toward living radical polymerization of vinyl chloride

The metal‐catalyzed radical polymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) in ortho‐dichlorobenzene initiated with various activated halides, such as α,α‐dihaloalkanes, α,α,α‐trihaloalkanes, perfloroalkyl halides, benzyl halides, pseudohalides, allyl halides, sulfonyl halides, α‐haloesters, α‐halonitriles, and imidyl halides, in the presence of Cu(0)/2,2′‐bipyridine, Fe(0)/o‐phenantroline, TiCp₂Cl₂, and other metal catalysts is reported. The formation of the monoadduct between the initiator and VC was achieved with all catalysts. However, propagation was observed only for metals in their zero oxidation state because they were able to reinitiate from geminal dihalo or allylic chloride structures. Poly(vinyl chloride) with molecular weights larger then the theoretical limit allowed by chain transfer to VC were obtained even at 130 °C. In addition, the most elemental features of a living radical polymerization, such as a linear dependence of the molecular weight and a decrease of polydispersity with conversion, were observed for the most promising systems based on iodine‐containing initiators and Cu(0), that is, I? CH₂? Ph? CH₂? I/Cu(0)/bpy (where bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridyl), at 130 °C. However, because of the formation of inactive species via chain transfer to VC and other side reactions, the observed conversions were in most cases lower than 40%. A mechanistic interpretation of the chain transfer to monomer in the presence of Cu species is proposed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3392–3418, 2001     

Oligopeptide‐based amide functional initiators for ATRP

Polymer–peptide conjugates are receiving significant interest. Here, we show that, under the appropriate conditions, a small family of oligopeptide‐based initiators can be used successfully to initiate the polymerization of methacrylic monomers by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), generating new examples of such materials. However, the use of the peptidic amide‐based initiators results in polymers which have a higher molecular weight than expected and a significantly higher polydispersity than those prepared from ester‐based initiators. In many cases significant initiator remains, suggesting that either not all peptides successfully initiate polymerization or that significant termination reactions occur early in the reaction. This low initiator efficiency agrees with other reports for amino acid‐based initiators. It therefore appears that such amide‐based initiators can be used successfully, but have a significantly lower applicability than the more commonly used ester‐based initiators. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6082–6090, 2008     

Radical Addition Enables 1,2‐Aryl Migration from a Vinyl‐Substituted All‐Carbon Quaternary Center

An efficient method for photocatalytic perfluoroalkylation of vinyl‐substituted all‐carbon quaternary centers involving 1,2‐aryl migration has been developed. The rearrangement reactions use fac‐Ir(ppy)₃, visible light and commercially available fluoroalkyl halides and can generate valuable multisubstituted perfluoroalkylated compounds in a single step that would be challenging to prepare by other methods. Mechanistically, the photoinduced alkyl radical addition to an alkene leads to the migration of a vicinal aryl substituent from its adjacent all‐carbon quaternary center with the concomitant generation of a C‐radical bearing two electron‐withdrawing groups that is further reduced by a hydrogen donor to complete the domino sequence.