Efficient catalytic reduction of lignin model molecules and reductive depolymerization of softwood and hardwood lignins is presented with the iridium based Brookhart's catalyst and hydrosilanes R ₃ SiH as reductant.

The last decade has witnessed the emergence of innovative synthetic tools for the synthesis of fluorinated molecules. Among these approaches, the transition-metal-catalyzed functionalization of various scaffolds with a panel of fluorinated groups (XR_F, X = S, Se, O) offered straightforward access to high value-added compounds. This review will highlight the main advances made in the field with the transition-metal-catalyzed functionalization of C(sp²) and C(sp³) centers with SCF₃, SeCF₃, or OCH₂CF₃ groups among others, by C–H bond activation. The scope and limitations of these transformations are discussed in this review.