The reductive elimination from a high-valent latetransition-metal complex for the formation of a carbon−carbon or carbon−heteroatom bond represents a fundamental productforming step in a number of catalytic processes. While reductive eliminations from well-defined Pt(IV), Pd(IV), Ni(III)/Ni(IV), and Au(III) complexes have been studied, the analogous reactions from neutral Cu(III) complexes remain largely unexplored. Herein, we report the isolation of a stable, five-coordinate, neutral square pyramidal Cu(III) complex that gives CH 3 -CF 3 in quantitative yield via reductive elimination. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction occurs through a synchronous bond-breaking/bondforming process via a three-membered ring transition state.
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