Direct electrophilic monofluoromethylation

Exploiting a "Beast" in Carbenoid Chemistry: Development of a Straightforward Direct Nucleophilic Fluoromethylation Strategy

The first direct and straightforward nucleophilic fluoromethylation of organic compounds is reported. The tactic employs a "fleeting" lithium fluorocarbenoid (LiCH₂F) generated from commercially available fluoroiodomethane. Precise reaction conditions were developed for the generation and synthetic exploitation of such a labile species. The versatility of the strategy is showcased in ca. 50 examples involving a plethora of electrophiles. Highly valuable chemicals such as fluoroalcohols, fluoroamines, and fluoromethylated oxygenated heterocycles could be prepared in very good yields through a single synthetic operation. The scalability of the reaction and its application to complex molecular architectures (e.g., steroids) are documented.

CuI-Catalyzed Fluorodesulfurization for the Synthesis of Monofluoromethyl Aryl Ethers

An efficient CuI-catalyzed fluorodesulfurization for the synthesis of monofluoromethyl aryl ethers using DAST at room temperature has been developed. This approach exhibits a good functional group tolerance, a broad substrate scope, and a high synthesis efficiency.

Direct Difluoromethylation of Alcohols with an Electrophilic Difluoromethylated Sulfonium Ylide

A general method for the formation of alkyl difluoromethylethers under mild reaction conditions and with good functional-group tolerance was developed. The development of the method was based on the invention of a stable, electrophilic, difluoromethylating reagent, difluoromethyl-(4-nitrophenyl)-bis(carbomethoxy) methylide sulfonium ylide, which was synthesized by reaction of the easily available 4-nitrophenyl (difluoromethyl)thioether and dimethyl diazomalonate in the presence of a rhodium catalyst.

Exploration of a potential difluoromethyl-nucleoside substrate with the fluorinase enzyme

The investigation of a difluoromethyl-bearing nucleoside with the fluorinase enzyme is described. 5',5'-Difluoro-5'-deoxyadenosine 7 (F2DA) was synthesised from adenosine, and found to bind to the fluorinase enzyme by isothermal titration calorimetry with similar affinity compared to 5'-fluoro-5'-deoxyadenosine 2 (FDA), the natural product of the enzymatic reaction. F2DA7 was found, however, not to undergo the enzyme catalysed reaction with L-selenomethionine, unlike FDA 2, which undergoes reaction with L-selenomethionine to generate Se-adenosylselenomethionine. A co-crystal structure of the fluorinase and F2DA7 and tartrate was solved to 1.8Å, and revealed that the difluoromethyl group bridges interactions known to be essential for activation of the single fluorine in FDA 2. An unusual hydrogen bonding interaction between the hydrogen of the difluoromethyl group and one of the hydroxyl oxygens of the tartrate ligand was also observed. The bridging interactions, coupled with the inherently stronger C-F bond in the difluoromethyl group, offers an explanation for why no reaction is observed.

Stereoselective nucleophilic fluoromethylation of aryl ketones: dynamic kinetic resolution of chiral α-fluoro carbanions

Although many methods are available for the synthesis of optically enriched monofluoromethyl secondary alcohols, synthesizing optically enriched monofluoromethyl tertiary alcohols remains a challenge. An efficient and easy-to-handle nucleophilic fluoromethylation protocol was developed. The current monofluoromethylation showed much higher facial selectivity than the corresponding difluoromethylation and proceeded via a different type of transition state. Excellent stereoselective control at the fluorinated carbon chiral center was found, an effect believed to be facilitated by the dynamic kinetic resolution of the chiral α-fluoro carbanions.

Enantioselective monofluoromethylation of aldehydes with 2-fluoro-1,3-benzodithiole-1,1,3,3-tetraoxide catalyzed by a bifunctional cinchona alkaloid-derived thiourea-titanium complex

A catalytic enantioselective monofluoromethylation of aldehydes using 2-fluoro-1,3-benzodithiole-1,1,3,3-tetraoxide (FBDT) was realized. With a bifunctional thiourea-titanium catalytic system, the monofluoromethylated-adducts were obtained in good yields and high enantioselectivities, up to 96% ee.

Introduction of fluorine and fluorine-containing functional groups

Over the past decade, the most significant, conceptual advances in the field of fluorination were enabled most prominently by organo- and transition-metal catalysis. The most challenging transformation remains the formation of the parent C-F bond, primarily as a consequence of the high hydration energy of fluoride, strong metal-fluorine bonds, and highly polarized bonds to fluorine. Most fluorination reactions still lack generality, predictability, and cost-efficiency. Despite all current limitations, modern fluorination methods have made fluorinated molecules more readily available than ever before and have begun to have an impact on research areas that do not require large amounts of material, such as drug discovery and positron emission tomography. This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.