Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of Aryl Trifluoromethyl Sulfides at Room Temperature

Copper-catalyzed intramolecular oxytrifluoromethylthiolation of unactivated alkenes

A mild, versatile, and convenient method for efficient intramolecular oxytrifluoromethylthiolation of unactivated alkenes catalyzed by Cu(OAc)2 has been developed. The reactions were carried out under aerobic conditions and formed a variety of isoxazolines bearing a -SCF3 substituent.

Catalytic borylation of SCF₃-functionalized arenes by rhodium(I) boryl complexes: regioselective C-H activation at the ortho-position

An unprecedented reaction pathway for the borylation of SCF3-containing arenes using [Rh(Bpin)(PEt3)3] (pin=pinacolato) is reported. Catalytic processes were developed and the functionalizations proceed under mild reaction conditions. The C-H activations occur with a unique regioselectivity for the position ortho to the SCF3 group, which apparently serves as directing group. Borylated SCF3 compounds can serve as versatile building blocks.

N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin: an easily accessible, shelf-stable, broadly applicable trifluoromethylthiolating reagent

A new, electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent, N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin, was developed and can be synthesized in two steps from saccharin within 30 minutes. N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin is a powerful trifluoromethylthiolating reagent and allows the trifluoromethylthiolation of a variety of nucleophiles such as alcohols, amines, thiols, electron-rich arenes, aldehydes, ketones, acyclic β-ketoesters, and alkynes under mild reaction conditions.

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of α-trifluoromethylthio-substituted ketones

The CF3S-substituted moiety serves as an important structural element in many bioactive molecules. A versatile copper catalyst that allowed for trifluoromethylthiolation of primary and secondary α-bromoketones is described. The reaction with readily available elemental sulfur and CF3SiMe3 afforded a broad scope and moderate to good yields of α-trifluoromethylthio-substituted ketones. This procedure represents a very operationally simple yet powerful strategy for the synthesis of α-trifluoromethylthio-substituted ketones, a useful and versatile class of synthetic synthons.

Recent progress of high performance polymer OLED and OPV materials for organic printed electronics

The development of organic printed electronics has been expanding to a variety of applications and is expected to bring innovations to our future life. Along with this trend, high performance organic materials with cost-efficient fabrication processes and specific features such as thin, light weight, bendable, and low power consumption are required. A variety of organic materials have been investigated in the development of this field. The basic guidelines for material design and the recent progress of polymer-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) are reported.

Oxidative trifluoromethylation and trifluoromethylthiolation reactions using (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane as a nucleophilic CF3 source

The trifluoromethyl group is widely prevalent in many pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals because its incorporation into drug candidates could enhance chemical and metabolic stability, improve lipophilicity and bioavailability, and increase the protein bind affinity. Consequently, extensive attention has been devoted toward the development of efficient and versatile methods for introducing the CF3 group into various organic molecules. Direct trifluoromethylation reaction has become one of the most efficient and important approaches for constructing carbon-CF3 bonds. Traditionally, the nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reaction involves an electrophile and the CF3 anion, while the electrophilic trifluoromethylation reaction involves a nucleophile and the CF3 cation. In 2010, we proposed the concept of oxidative trifluoromethylation: the reaction of nucleophilic substrates and nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reagents in the presence of oxidants. In this Account, we describe our recent studies of oxidative trifluoromethylation reactions of various nucleophiles with CF3SiMe3 in the presence of oxidants. We have focused most of our efforts on constructing carbon-CF3 bonds via direct trifluoromethylation of various C-H bonds. We have demonstrated copper-mediated or -catalyzed or metal-free oxidative C-H trifluoromethylation of terminal alkynes, tertiary amines, arenes and heteroarenes, and terminal alkenes. Besides various C-H bonds, aryl boronic acids proved to be viable nucleophilic coupling partners for copper-mediated or -catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with CF3SiMe3. To further expand the reaction scope, we also applied H-phosphonates to the oxidative trifluoromethylation system to construct P-CF3 bonds. Most recently, we developed silver-catalyzed hydrotrifluoromethylation of unactivated olefins. These studies explore boronic acids, C-H bonds, and P-H bonds as novel nucleophiles in transition-metal-mediated or -catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with CF3SiMe3, opening new viewpoints for future trifluoromethylation reactions. Furthermore, we also achieved the oxidative trifluoromethylthiolation reactions of aryl boronic acids and terminal alkynes to construct carbon-SCF3 bonds by using CF3SiMe3 and elemental sulfur as the nucleophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent. These oxidative trifluoromethylation and trifluoromethylthiolation reactions tolerate a wide range of functional groups, affording a diverse array of CF3- and CF3S-containing compounds with high efficiencies, and provide elegant and complementary alternatives to classical trifluoromethylation and trifluoromethylthiolation reactions. Because of the importance of the CF3 and SCF3 moieties in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, these reactions would have potential applications in the life science fields.

Direct catalytic trifluoromethylthiolation of boronic acids and alkynes employing electrophilic shelf-stable N-(trifluoromethylthio)phthalimide

A new and safe method for the synthesis of N-(trifluoromethylthio)phthalimide, a convenient and shelf-stable reagent for the direct trifluoromethylthiolation, has been developed. N-(Trifluoromethylthio)phthalimide can be used as an electrophilic source of F3 CS(+) and reacts readily with boronic acids and alkynes under copper catalysis. The utility of CF3 S-containing molecules as biologically active agents, the mild reaction conditions employed, and the high tolerance of functional groups demonstrate the potential of this new methodology to be widely applied in organic synthesis as well as industrial pharmaceutical and agrochemical research and development.

Efficient silver-catalyzed direct sulfenylation and selenylation of rich arenes

An efficient protocol for silver/copper-cocatalyzed direct sulfenylation and selenylation of arenes with aryl disulfides and diselenides has been developed.