Advances in cycloaddition and hydroaddition reaction of α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes without defluorination: An alternative approach to CF₃-containing compounds

α-(Trifluoromethyl)styrene and its derivatives have found wide applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced materials. They are also versatile trifluoromethyl-containing building blocks for the preparation of various trifluoromethyl-containing, fluorine-containing or nonfluorinated compounds. Recently, great efforts have been made to develop diverse reactions for rapidly accessing a wide range of valuable gem‑difluoroalkenes and gem‑difluoroalkylated compounds via defluorinative reaction or the defluorinative ipso-functionalization reaction of α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes, respectively. In contrast, α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes remain notably underdeveloped with respect to their use in cycloaddition and hydroaddition reaction with retaining of three C[sbnd]F bonds. This short review herein is aimed to summarize the recent progress on the cycloaddition and hydroaddition reaction including nucleophilic, radical and transition metal-catalyzed addition of α-(trifluoromethyl)styrenes without accompanying defluorination.