Accelerating palladium-catalyzed C-F bond formation: use of a microflow packed-bed reactor

Advances in Continuous Flow Fluorination Reactions

Fluorination reactions are important in constructing organofluorine motifs, which contribute to favorable biological properties in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. However, fluorination reagents and reactions are associated with various problems, such as their hazardous nature, high exothermicity, and poor selectivity and scalability. Continuous flow has emerged as a transformative technology to provide many advantages relative to batch syntheses. This review article summarizes recent continuous flow techniques that address the limitations and challenges of fluorination reactions. Approaches based on different flow techniques are discussed, including gas-liquid reactions, packed-bed reactors, in-line purifications, streamlined multistep synthesis, large-scale reactions well as flow photoredox- and electrocatalysis.

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Aryl Fluorides by Using Ball Milling and a Piezoelectric Material as the Redox Catalyst

Aryl fluorides are important structural motifs in many pharmaceuticals. Although the Balz-Schiemann reaction provides an entry to aryl fluorides from aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, it suffers from drawbacks such as long reaction time, high temperature, toxic solvent, toxic gas release, and low functional group tolerance. Here, we describe a general method for the synthesis of aryl fluorides from aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates using a piezoelectric material as redox catalyst under ball milling conditions in the presence of Selectfluor. This approach effectively addresses the aforementioned limitations. Furthermore, the piezoelectric material can be recycled multiple times. Mechanistic investigations indicate that this fluorination reaction may proceed via a radical pathway, and Selectfluor plays a dual role as both a source of fluorine and a terminal reductant.

Nickel Meets Aryl Thianthrenium Salts: Ni(I)-Catalyzed Halogenation of Arenes

Herein, a regioselective, late-stage two-step arene halogenation method is reported. We propose how unusual Ni(I)/(III) catalysis is enabled by a combination of aryl thianthrenium and Ni redox properties that is hitherto unachieved with other (pseudo)halides. The catalyst is accessed in situ from inexpensive NiCl₂·6(H₂O) and zinc without the need of supporting ligands.

Fluoride Anion Catalyzed Mukaiyama-Aldol Reaction: Rapid Access to α-Fluoro-β-hydroxy Esters

The Mukaiyama-aldol reaction is probably one of the most efficient strategies to prepare synthetically useful β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds. However, only several reported methods were concerned with the accesses to α-fluoro-β-hydroxy esters. Herein, we report a protocol for a fluoride anion-mediated Mukaiyama aldol reaction with low catalytic loading in a short reaction time to incorporate fluorine at the α position into β-hydroxy esters. The method shows good functional-group tolerance and scale-up potential, moreover, is applicable to the late-stage modification of natural products and small molecular drugs.

Photo isomerization of cis-cyclooctene to trans-cyclooctene: Integration of a micro-flow reactor and separation by specific adsorption

Liquid-phase adsorption has hardly been established in micro-flow, although this constitutes an industrially vital method for product separation. A micro-flow UV-photo isomerization process converts cis-cyclooctene partly into trans-cyclooctene, leaving an isomeric mixture. Trans-cyclooctene adsorption and thus separation was achieved in a fixed-bed micro-flow reactor, packed with AgNO3/SiO2 powder, while the cis-isomer stays in the flow. The closed-loop recycling-flow has been presented as systemic approach to enrich the trans-cyclooctene from its cis-isomer. In-flow adsorption in recycling-mode has hardly been reported so that a full theoretical study has been conducted. This insight is used to evaluate three process design options to reach an optimum yield of trans-cyclooctene. These differ firstly in the variation of the individual residence times in the reactor and separator, the additional process option of refreshing the adsorption column under use, and the periodicity of the recycle flow.

Copper-Mediated Fluorination of Aryl Trisiloxanes with Nucleophilic Fluoride

A method for the nucleophilic fluorination of heptamethyl aryl trisiloxanes to form fluoroarenes is reported. The reaction proceeds in the presence of Cu(OTf)2 and KHF2 as the fluoride source under mild conditions for a broad range of heptamethyltrisiloxyarenes with high functional group tolerance. The combination of this method with the silylation of aryl C-H bonds enables the regioselective fluorination of non-activated arenes controlled by steric effects following a two-step protocol.

Directed C-H Halogenation Reactions Catalysed by PdII Supported on Polymers under Batch and Continuous Flow Conditions

A new generation of N-heterocyclic carbene palladium(II) complexes containing vinyl groups in different positions in the backbone of the N-heterocycle have been developed. The fully characterised monomers were copolymerised with divinylbenzene to fabricate robust polymer supported NHC-Pd^II complexes and these polymers were applied as heterogeneous catalysts in directed C-H halogenation of arenes with a pyridine-type directing group. The catalysts demonstrated medium-high catalytic activity with up to 90 % conversion and 100 % selectivity in chlorination. They are heterogeneous and recyclable (at least six times) with no significant leaching of palladium in batch mode catalysis. The best catalyst was also applied under continuous flow conditions where it disclosed an exceptional activity (90 % conversion) and 100 % selectivity for the mono-halogenated product for at least six days, with no leaching of palladium, no loss of activity and an ability to maintain the original oxidation state of Pd^II .

Hypervalent Iodine(III)-Catalyzed Balz-Schiemann Fluorination under Mild Conditions

An unprecedented hypervalent iodine(III) catalyzed Balz-Schiemann reaction is described. In the presence of a hypervalent iodine compound, the fluorination reaction proceeds under mild conditions (25-60 °C), and features a wide substrate scope and good functional-group compatibility.

Nucleophilic fluorination facilitated by a CsF–CaF2 packed bed reactor in continuous flow

A simple to prepare, dry and handle packed bed reactor carrying CsF on CaF₂, towards nucleophilic fluorinations in continuous flow, is reported.

The Evolution of Pd0/PdII-Catalyzed Aromatic Fluorination

Aromatic fluorides are prevalent in both agrochemical and pharmaceutical agents. However, methods for their rapid and general preparation from widely available starting materials are limited. Traditional approaches such as the Balz–Schiemann and Halex reactions require harsh conditions that limit functional group tolerance and substrate scope. The use of transition metals to affect C–F bond formation has provided some useful alternatives, but a broadly applicable method remains elusive. In contrast to the widespread use of Pd⁰/Pd^II catalysis for aryl–Z bond formation (Z = C, N, O), the analogous C–F cross-coupling process was unknown until fairly recently. In large part, this is due to the challenging Ar–F reductive elimination from Pd(II) intermediates. We have discovered that certain biaryl monophosphine ligands are uniquely capable of promoting this transformation. In this Account, we describe the discovery and development of a Pd-catalyzed C–F cross-coupling process and the systematic developments that made this once hypothetical reaction possible.

Key to these developments was the discovery of an unusual in situ ligand modification process in which a molecule of substrate is incorporated into the ligand scaffold and the identity of the modifying group is crucial to the outcome of the reaction. This prompted the synthesis of a variety of “premodified” ligands and the identification of one that led to an expanded substrate scope, including (hetero)aryl triflates and bromides. Contemporaneously, a new Pd(0) precatalyst was also discovered that avoids the need to reduce Pd(II) in situ, a process that was often inefficient and led to the formation of byproducts.

The use of inexpensive but hygroscopic sources of fluoride necessitates a reaction setup inside of a N₂-filled glovebox, limiting the practicality of the method. Thus, a preformed wax capsule was designed to isolate the catalyst and reagents from the atmosphere and permit benchtop storage and setup. This new technology thus removes the requirement to employ a glovebox for the aromatic fluorination process and other air-sensitive protocols.

In every catalyst system that we have studied to date, we observed the formation of regioisomeric fluoride side products. Through deuterium labeling studies it was found that they likely arise from a deprotonation event resulting in the formation of HF and a Pd–benzyne intermediate. Through an investigation of the mechanism of this undesired pathway, a new ligand was designed that substantially reduces the formation of the aryl fluoride regioisomer and even allows room-temperature Ar–F reductive elimination from a Pd(II) intermediate.

(18)F-Labeling of Arenes and Heteroarenes for Applications in Positron Emission Tomography

Diverse radiochemistry is an essential component of nuclear medicine; this includes imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET). As such, PET can track diseases at an early stage of development, help patient care planning through personalized medicine and support drug discovery programs. Fluorine-18 is the most frequently used radioisotope in PET radiopharmaceuticals for both clinical and preclinical research. Its physical and nuclear characteristics (97% β(+) decay, 109.8 min half-life, 635 keV positron energy) and high specific activity make it an attractive nuclide for labeling and molecular imaging. Arenes and heteroarenes are privileged candidates for (18)F-incorporation as they are metabolically robust and therefore widely used by medicinal chemists and radiochemists alike. For many years, the range of (hetero)arenes amenable to (18)F-fluorination was limited by the lack of chemically diverse precursors, and of radiochemical methods allowing (18)F-incorporation in high selectivity and efficiency (radiochemical yield and purity, specific activity, and radio-scalability). The appearance of late-stage fluorination reactions catalyzed by transition metal or small organic molecules (organocatalysis) has encouraged much research on the use of these activation manifolds for (18)F-fluorination. In this piece, we review all of the reactions known to date to install the (18)F substituent and other key (18)F-motifs (e.g., CF3, CHF2, OCF3, SCF3, OCHF2) of medicinal relevance onto (hetero)arenes. The field has changed significantly in the past five years, and the current trend suggests that the radiochemical space available for PET applications will expand rapidly in the near future.

Halogenations of substituted 2-alkylquinoline with iodine and halide exchange with AgF2

Halogenations of substituted 2-alkylquinoline with iodine and halide exchange with AgF₂ have been developed.

A Fluorinated Ligand Enables Room-Temperature and Regioselective Pd-Catalyzed Fluorination of Aryl Triflates and Bromides

A new biaryl monophosphine ligand (AlPhos, L1) allows for the room-temperature Pd-catalyzed fluorination of a variety of activated (hetero)aryl triflates. Furthermore, aryl triflates and bromides that are prone to give mixtures of regioisomeric aryl fluorides with Pd-catalysis can now be converted to the desired aryl fluorides with high regioselectivity. Analysis of the solid-state structures of several Pd(II) complexes, as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations, shed light on the origin of the enhanced reactivity observed with L1.

In-Depth Assessment of the Palladium-Catalyzed Fluorination of Five-Membered Heteroaryl Bromides

A thorough investigation of the challenging Pd-catalyzed fluorination of five-membered heteroaryl bromides is presented. Crystallographic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the challenging step of this transformation is C–F reductive elimination of five-membered heteroaryl fluorides from Pd(II) complexes. On the basis of these studies, we have found that various heteroaryl bromides bearing phenyl groups in the ortho position can be effectively fluorinated under catalytic conditions. Highly activated 2-bromoazoles, such as 8-bromocaffeine, are also viable substrates for this reaction.

Applications of Fluorine in Medicinal Chemistry

The role of fluorine in drug design and development is expanding rapidly as we learn more about the unique properties associated with this unusual element and how to deploy it with greater sophistication. The judicious introduction of fluorine into a molecule can productively influence conformation, pKa, intrinsic potency, membrane permeability, metabolic pathways, and pharmacokinetic properties. In addition, (18)F has been established as a useful positron emitting isotope for use with in vivo imaging technology that potentially has extensive application in drug discovery and development, often limited only by convenient synthetic accessibility to labeled compounds. The wide ranging applications of fluorine in drug design are providing a strong stimulus for the development of new synthetic methodologies that allow more facile access to a wide range of fluorinated compounds. In this review, we provide an update on the effects of the strategic incorporation of fluorine in drug molecules and applications in positron emission tomography.

Strategic Application of Residence-Time Control in Continuous-Flow Reactors

As a sustainable alternative for conventional batch-based synthetic techniques, the concept of continuous-flow processing has emerged in the synthesis of fine chemicals. Systematic tuning of the residence time, a key parameter of continuous-reaction technology, can govern the outcome of a chemical reaction by determining the reaction rate and the conversion and by influencing the product selectivity. This review furnishes a brief insight into flow reactions in which high chemo- and/or stereoselectivity can be attained by strategic residence-time control and illustrates the importance of the residence time as a crucial parameter in sustainable method development. Such a fine reaction control cannot be performed in conventional batch reaction set-ups.

Late-stage fluorination: fancy novelty or useful tool?

Charming fluorine: This Essay examines the recent surge in late-stage fluorination reactions and outlines challenges that need to be overcome to increase the impact of modern fluorination methods on the synthesis of complex organofluorine compounds. It is outlined how an improved understanding of the bonding interactions of fluoride could lead to a new class of mild fluorinating reagents and a range of functional-group-tolerant reactions.