Facile Access to Fluoromethylated Arenes by Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling between Arylboronic Acids and Fluoromethyl Bromide

Selective Defluorination of Trifluoromethyl Substituents by Conformationally Induced Remote Substitution

The selective reduction of an aromatic trifluoromethyl substituent to a difluoromethyl substituent may be achieved by base-promoted elimination to form a difluoro-p-quinomethide which is trapped by an intramolecular nucleophile. High yields are obtained when the nucleophilic trap entails the conformationally favoured cyclisation of an aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) derivative. The resulting cyclised difluoromethyl-substituted arylimidazolidinone products are readily converted to versatile difluoromethyl-substituted aldehydes by reduction and hydrolysis. Defluorination is successful on a range of benzenoid (both para and ortho CF3-substituted) and heterocyclic substrates. Double defluorination may likewise be achieved sequentially, or in a single step, from an Aib dipeptide derivative.

Tunable Synthesis of Monofluoroalkenes and Gem-Difluoroalkenes via Solvent-Controlled Rhodium-Catalyzed Arylation of 1-Bromo-2,2-difluoroethylene

Divergent synthesis of fluorine-containing scaffolds starting from a suite of raw materials is an intriguing topic. Herein, we report the solvent-controlled rhodium-catalyzed tunable arylation of 1-bromo-2,2-difluoroethylene. The selection of the reaction solvents provides switchable defluorinated or debrominated arylation from readily available feedstock resources (both arylboronic acids/esters and 1-bromo-2,2-difluoroethylene are commercially available). This switch is feasible because of the difference in coordination ability between the solvent (CH2 Cl2 or CH3 CN) and the rhodium center, resulting in different olefin insertion. This protocol allows the convenient synthesis of monofluoroalkenes and gem-difluoroalkenes, both of which are important scaffolds in the fields of medicine and materials. Moreover, this newly developed solvent-regulated reaction system can be applied to the site-selective dechlorinated arylation of trichloroethylene. Overall, this study provides a useful strategy for the divergent synthesis of fluorine-containing scaffolds and provides insight into the importance of solvent selection in catalytic reactions.

Photoredox-Catalyzed and Silane-Mediated Hydrofluoromethylation of Unactivated Alkenes with Fluoroiodomethane in Water

The first hydrofluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes with fluoroiodomethane and hydrosilanes is developed by merging photoredox catalysis and silane-mediated deiodination processes. The key to the success of this reaction is the use of water as the solvent to enhance the activity of CH₂F radical toward unactivated alkenes.

Synthesis of aryldifluoromethyl aryl ethers via nickel-catalyzed suzuki cross-coupling between aryloxydifluoromethyl bromides and boronic acids

As a unique organofluorine fragment, gem-difluoromethylated motifs have received widespread attention. Here, a convenient and efficient synthesis of aryldifluoromethyl aryl ethers (ArCF₂OAr') was established via Nickel-catalyzed aryloxydifluoromethylation with arylboronic acids. This approach features easily accessible starting materials, good tolerance of functionalities, and mild reaction conditions. Diverse late-stage difluoromethylation of many pharmaceuticals and natural products were readily realized. Notably, a new difluoromethylated PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor was conveniently synthesized and showed both improved metabolic stability and enhanced antitumor efficacy. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested the involvement of a Ni(I/III) catalytic cycle.

The synthetic versatility of fluoroiodomethane: recent applications as monofluoromethylation platform

In recent years, fluoroiodomethane (CH₂FI) has emerged as an easy-to-handle, non-ozone depleting agent and readily available platform for monofluoromethylation strategies. Recent applications in nucleophilic substitutions, lithiation reactions, transition-metal catalyzed transformations, radical processes, and ¹⁸F-radiolabelling chemistry showcase the potential of this reagent for the preparation of organofluorine compounds. In this minireview, we provide an update to the field covering the recent relevant literature on the use of CH₂FI.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Fluoromethylated Arenes via Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Fluoromethylation of Aryl Iodides

Herein we report the first versatile and expeditious method for the site-selective C-H fluoromethylation of aryl iodides via Pd/norbornene cooperative catalysis, which could work as a robust toolbox for the diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) of fluoromethylated arenes. This methodology features the use of the low-cost industrial raw material CH₂IF as the fluoromethyl source, an excellent functional group tolerance, and a broad ipso termination scope and can be expanded to the late-stage modification of biorelevant molecules.

A Carbene Strategy for Progressive (Deutero)Hydrodefluorination of Fluoroalkyl Ketones

Hydrodefluorination is one of the most promising chemical strategies to degrade perfluorochemicals into partially fluorinated compounds. However, controlled progressive hydrodefluorination remains a significant challenge, owing to the decrease in the strength of C-F bonds along with the defluorination. Here we describe a carbene strategy for the sequential (deutero)hydrodefluorination of perfluoroalkyl ketones under rhodium catalysis, allowing for the controllable preparation of difluoroalkyl- and monofluoroalkyl ketones from aryl- and even alkyl-substituted perfluoro-alkyl ketones in high yield with excellent functional group tolerance. The reaction mechanism and the origin of the intriguing chemoselectivity of the reaction were rationalized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Hydrofluoromethylation of alkenes with fluoroiodomethane and beyond

A process for the direct hydrofluoromethylation of alkenes is reported for the first time. This straighforward silyl radical-mediated reaction utilises CH₂FI as a non-ozone depleting reagent, traditionally used in electrophilic, nucleophilic and carbene-type chemistry, but not as a CH₂F radical source. By circumventing the challenges associated with the high reduction potential of CH₂FI being closer to CH₃I than CF₃I, and harnessing instead the favourable bond dissociation energy of the C–I bond, we demonstrate that feedstock electron-deficient alkenes are converted into products resulting from net hydrofluoromethylation with the intervention of (Me₃Si)₃SiH under blue LED activation. This deceptively simple yet powerful methodology was extended to a range of (halo)methyl radical precursors including ICH₂I, ICH₂Br, ICH₂Cl, and CHBr₂F, as well as CH₃I itself; this latter reagent therefore enables direct hydromethylation. This versatile chemistry was applied to ¹⁸F-, ¹³C-, and D-labelled reagents as well as complex biologically relevant alkenes, providing facile access to more than fifty products for applications in medicinal chemistry and positron emission tomography.

Herein, we report the direct hydro(halo)methylation of alkenes from a variety of (halo)methyl iodides (including F-18, C-13, D-2 isotopologues), enabling the incorporation of a plethora of C-1 fragments into complex biologically active molecules.

Copper-Catalyzed 1,1-Alkylmonofluoroalkylation of Terminal Alkynes with Diazo Compounds and 2-Fluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl Compounds: Access toward (E)-β-Monofluoroalkyl-β,γ-unsaturated Esters or Ketones

An efficient copper-catalyzed three-component 1,1-alkylmonofluoroalkylation of terminal alkynes, diazo compounds, and 2-fluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds for the synthesis of (E)-β-monofluoroalkyl-β,γ-unsaturated esters or ketones has been developed. The methodology features a broad substrate scope, an inexpensive and easily available catalytic system, and excellent selectivity with good yields. The mechanism of the tandem Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling and nucleophilic addition of allenes has been investigated.

Synthesis of Spirocycles via Ni-Catalyzed Intramolecular Coupling of Thioesters and Olefins

A nickel-catalyzed intramolecular coupling of thioesters and olefins has been developed for the efficient synthesis of spirocycles, a privileged scaffold commonly found in natural products. This transformation is characterized by the simultaneous transfer of both acyl and thiol moieties to the alkene, with the suppression of decarbonylation and β-hydrogen elimination. Initial mechanistic investigations are consistent with an oxidative addition/olefin insertion/reductive elimination mechanism. The incorporated methylene sulfide substituent can undergo a variety of further reactions to increase molecular diversity and complexity. These results demonstrate that thioester derivatives can be used as powerful building blocks for the assembly of complex scaffolds.

Nickel-catalysed fluoromethylation reactions

This review highlights important developments in nickel-catalysed mono-, di- and tri-fluoromethylation, trifluoromethylthiolation and trifluoromethylselenolation.

Reagents for Selective Fluoromethylation: A Challenge in Organofluorine Chemistry

The introduction of a monofluoromethyl moiety has undoubtedly become a very important area of research in recent years. Owing to the beneficial properties of organofluorine compounds, such as their metabolic stability, the incorporation of the CH2 F group as a bioisosteric substitute for various functional groups is an attractive strategy for the discovery of new pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, the monofluoromethyl unit is also widely used in agrochemistry, in pharmaceutical chemistry, and in fine chemicals. The problems associated with climate change and the growing need for environmentally friendly industrial processes mean that alternatives to the frequently used CFC and HFBC fluoromethylating agents (CH2 FCl and CH2 FBr) are urgently needed and also required by the Montreal Protocol. This has recently prompted many researchers to develop alternative fluoromethylation agents. This Minireview summarizes both the classical and new generation of fluoromethylating agents. Reagents that act via electrophilic, nucleophilic, and radical pathways are discussed, in addition to their precursors.

Direct and Chemoselective Electrophilic Monofluoromethylation of Heteroatoms (O-, S-, N-, P-, Se-) with Fluoroiodomethane

The commercially available fluoroiodomethane represents a valuable and effective electrophilic source for transferring the CH₂F unit to a series of heteroatom-centered nucleophiles under mild basic conditions. The excellent manipulability offered by its liquid physical state (bp 53.4 °C) enables practical and straightforward one-step nucleophilic substitutions to retain the chiral information embodied, thus allowing it to overcome de facto the requirement for fluoromethylating agents with no immediate access. The high-yielding methodology was successfully applied to a variety of nucleophiles including a series of drugs currently in the market.

Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling for Transforming Unactivated Aryl Electrophiles into β-Fluoroethylarenes

We report herein a facile synthetic method for converting unactivated (hetero)aryl electrophiles into β-fluoroethylated (hetero)arenes via nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-couplings. This coupling reaction features the involvement of FCH₂ CH₂ radical intermediate rather than β-fluoroethyl manganese species which provides effective solutions to the problematic β-fluoride side eliminations. The practical value of this protocol is further demonstrated by the late-stage modification of several complex ArCl or ArOH-derived bioactive molecules.

Ligand-free copper-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective 1,1-alkylmonofluoroalkylation of terminal alkynes

A novel copper-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective 1,1-alkylmonofluoroalkylation of terminal alkynes without an external ligand has been developed.

1,1-Difluoroethyl chloride (CH3CF2Cl), a novel difluoroalkylating reagent for 1,1-difluoroethylation of arylboronic acids

1,1-Difluoroethylated aromatics are of great importance in medicinal chemistry and related fields. 1,1-Difluoroethyl chloride (CH₃CF₂Cl), a cheap and abundant industrial raw material, is viewed as an ideal 1,1-difluoroethylating reagent, but the direct introduction of the difluoroethyl (CF₂CH₃) group onto aromatic rings using CH₃CF₂Cl has not been successfully accomplished. Herein, we disclose a nickel-catalyzed 1,1-difluoroethylation of arylboronic acids with CH₃CF₂Cl for the synthesis of (1,1-difluoroethyl)arenes.

1,1-Difluoroethylated aromatics are of great importance in medicinal chemistry and related fields.

Nickel-Catalyzed Coupling Reaction of α-Bromo-α-fluoroketones with Arylboronic Acids toward the Synthesis of α-Fluoroketones

A nickel-catalyzed coupling reaction of α-bromo-α-fluoroketones with arylboronic acids was reported, which provides an efficient pathway to access 2-fluoro-1,2-diarylethanones in high yields. We also disclosed the synthesis of the monofluorination agents α-bromo-α-fluoroketones by using a trifluoroacetate release protocol. Mechanistic investigation indicated that a monofluoroalkyl radical is involved in the catalytic circle. Moreover, an important medical intermediate of flindokalner was synthesized via a nickel-catalyzed coupling reaction of α-bromo-α-fluoro-2-indolone and boronic ester.

Highly Carbon-Selective Monofluoromethylation of β-Ketoesters with Fluoromethyl Iodide

A highly carbon-selective monofluoromethylation of a broad range of β-ketoesters with fluoromethyl iodide under mild conditions is described. The uses of lithium tert-butoxide as the base and diglyme as the solvent made great contributions to the high C/O regioselectivity.

Exploiting the trifluoroethyl group as a precatalyst ligand in nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-type alkylations

We report herein the exploitment of the partially fluorinated trifluoroethyl as precatalyst ligands in nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-type alkylation and fluoroalkylation coupling reactions. Compared with the [L n NiII(aryl)(X)] precatalysts, the unique characters of bis-trifluoroethyl ligands imparted precatalyst [(bipy)Ni(CH2CF3)2] with bench-top stability, good solubilities in organic media and interesting catalytic activities. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that an eliminative extrusion of a vinylidene difluoride (VDF, CH2[double bond, length as m-dash]CF2) mask from [(bipy)Ni(CH2CF3)2] is a critical step for the initiation of a catalytic reaction.

Nickel-catalyzed fluoroethylation of arylboronic acids via Suzuki-type coupling

A new and step-economic method for the synthesis of homobenzylic fluorides through nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-type fluoroethylation coupling is developed.

Nickel-catalyzed monofluoromethylation of (hetero)aryl bromides via reductive cross-coupling

Nickel-catalyzed direct monofluoromethylation of (hetero)aryl bromides with industrial raw material BrCH₂F by reductive cross-coupling has been developed.

Transition-Metal (Cu, Pd, Ni)-Catalyzed Difluoroalkylation via Cross-Coupling with Difluoroalkyl Halides

Difluoroalkylated compounds play a remarkably important role in life and materials sciences because of the unique characteristics of the difluoromethylene (CF₂) group. In particular, precise introduction of a CF₂ group at the benzylic position can dramatically improve the biological properties of the corresponding molecules. As a consequence, difluoroalkylation of aromatic compounds has become a powerful strategy in modulating the bioactivities of organic molecules. However, efficient strategies to selectively synthesize difluoroalkylated arenes had been very limited before 2012. Traditional synthetic methods in this regard suffer from either harsh reaction conditions or narrow substrate scope, significantly restricting their widespread applications, particularly for late-stage difluoroalkylation of bioactive molecules. To overcome these limitations, a straightforward route to access these valuable difluoroalkylated skeletons is the direct introduction of the difluoroalkylated group (CF₂R) onto aromatic rings through transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling. However, because of the instability of some difluoroalkylated metal species, which are prone to protonation, dimerization, and/or generation of other unknown byproducts, it is difficult to selectively control the catalytic cycle to suppress these side reactions. In this context, we proposed the use of low-cost and widely available difluoroalkyl halides as fluoroalkyl sources for transition-metal-catalyzed difluoroalkylation reactions via cross-coupling. In this Account, we summarize our major efforts on copper-, palladium-, and nickel-catalyzed difluoroalkylations of aromatics with low-cost and widely available difluoroalkyl halides as fluoroalkyl sources. Four modes of catalytic difluoroalkylation reactions, including nucleophilic difluoroalkylation, electrophilic difluoroalkylation, radical difluoroalkylation, and metal-difluorocarbene coupling (MeDiC), have been demonstrated through careful modulation of the catalytic systems. Among these reactions, the MeDiC reaction represents a new mode of fluoroalkylation. These processes enable difluoroalkylation of a variety of aryl halides and arylboron reagents under mild reaction conditions. A wide range of difluoroalkyl halides, including activated difluoroalkyl halides (Cl/BrCF₂R, R = π system), unactivated difluoroalkyl halides (BrCF₂R, R = alkyl, H), and especially the inert and inexpensive industrial chemical chlorodifluoromethane (ClCF₂H), are applicable to these reactions, providing straightforward and facile routes to a diverse range of difluoroalkylated (hetero)arenes. These difluoroalkyl halide-based strategies can also be applied to prepare difluoroalkylated alkenes, alkynes, and alkanes and feature impressive advantages over conventional methods for the synthesis of difluoroalkylated compounds in terms of synthetic efficiency, functional group tolerance, and structural diversity. In particular, the late-stage difluoroalkylation of bioactive molecules through these processes offers good opportunities for the synthesis and development of new medicinal agents without the need for multistep de novo syntheses.

Nickel-Catalyzed Regioselective C(2)-H Difluoroalkylation of Indoles with Difluoroalkyl Bromides

Regioselective C(2)-H difluoroalkylation of C-3 unsubstituted indoles with commonly available fluoroalkyl bromides is successfully achieved employing a simple nickel catalyst system, (DME)NiCl₂ /Xantphos. This methodology shows excellent regioselectivity and exhibits a broad substrate scope. Various functional groups, such as -OMe, -F, and -Br, are tolerated on the indole backbone to give the difluoroalkylated products in moderate to good yields. Preliminary mechanistic findings demonstrate that the reaction is homogeneous in nature and involves a radical manifold. Synthetic utility of this nickel-catalyzed method is demonstrated by synthesizing melatonin receptor antagonist Luzindole derivative.

Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Cross-Coupling of Aryl Halides with Monofluoroalkyl Halides for Late-Stage Monofluoroalkylation

A combinatorial nickel-catalyzed monofluoroalkylation of aryl halides with unactivated fluoroalkyl halides by reductive cross-coupling has been developed. This method demonstrated high efficiency, mild conditions, and excellent functional-group tolerance, thus enabling the late-stage monofluoroalkylation of diverse drugs. The key to success was the combination of diverse readily available bidentate and monodentate pyridine-type nitrogen ligands with nickel, which in situ generated a variety of readily tunable catalysts to promote fluoroalkylation with broad scope with respect to both coupling partners. This combinatorial catalysis strategy offers a solution for nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reactions and provides an efficient way to synthesize fluoroalkylated druglike molecules for drug discovery.

Bulky Diamine Ligand Promotes Cross-Coupling of Difluoroalkyl Bromides by Iron Catalysis

Although iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of Grignard reagents with alkyl halides has been well established, the adoption of the reaction for fluoroalkylations has not been reported because traditional catalytic systems often lead to defluorination reactions. Described herein is the investigation of an iron-catalyzed cross-coupling between arylmagnesium bromides and difluoroalkyl bromides with modified N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-ethane-1,2-diamine (TMEDA) as a ligand. The use of this bulky diamine, in which a butylene is substituted at one carbon atom of the ethylene backbone in TMEDA, enables the iron-catalyzed difluoroalkylation under mild reaction conditions with a wide range of difluoroalkyl bromides, including vulnerable bromodifluoromethane, thus providing a general and cost-efficient route for applications in medicinal chemistry.