An efficient synthetic method for Z-fluoroalkene dipeptide isosteres: Application to the synthesis of the dipeptide isostere of Sta-Ala

Intermolecular fluoroamination of allenes towards substituted vinyl fluorides

Allene difunctionalization: Selectfluor mediated intermolecular aminofluorination of allenes with triazole and tetrazole nucleophiles towards vinyl fluorides.

Activation of C–F bonds α to C–C multiple bonds

A closer look is given to the successful approaches to the C(sp³)–F activation of benzylic, allylic, propargylic and allenylic fluorides.

Direct fluorination of styrenes

We have developed a practical method to synthesize fluorostyrene compounds. A mild and regioselective mono-fluorination reaction occurred smoothly for various di- and trisubstituted styrenes in the presence of RuCl3 and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI). A tandem alkyne hydroarylation-olefin fluorination reaction was also developed using an Au catalyst.

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.

Stereoselective synthesis of mono-fluoroalkenes

Recent developments in the stereoselective synthesis of fluoroalkenes, which include hydrofluorination of alkyne, fluorination of alkenylmetal, condensation methods, dehydrofluorination of gem-difluoro compounds, and a cross-coupling reaction using fluorohaloalkenes or fluoroalkenylmetal, are described in this chapter.

The -BF-NH- link as a peptide-bond surrogate

A new peptidomimetic is proposed, resulting from substitution of the C═O carbonyl group by a B-F bond at the amide linkage. The effects of such chemical alteration are theoretically investigated through comparative calculations on dimethyl-fluoro-aminoborane H(3)C-BF-NH-CH(3) and N-methylacetamide H(3)C-CO-NH-CH(3), the simplest model of a peptide linkage. While little difference is found regarding size, electronic structure, and plaque rigidity, substantial distinctions are, however, observed between the polarities and association energies of the two compounds, with a B-F···H-N hydrogen bond estimated to be about one-third as strong as the natural C═O···H-N one. The conformational maps of the corresponding dipeptide models exhibit similarities and distinctions, which partly account for helical oligomer properties. Although capable of a high level of organization, the chains made of fluoro-aminoborane units show overall less structuration and more plasticity than their peptidic counterparts. Contrasts with fluorine-containing peptidomimetic 2-fluoro-2-butene are further underlined.

Amino acid-based synthesis of trifluoromethylalkene dipeptide isosteres by alcohol-assisted nucleophilic trifluoromethylation and organozinc-copper-mediated S(N)2' alkylation

A novel synthetic approach to Xaa-Yaa-type (Z)-trifluoromethylalkene dipeptide isostere (CF(3)-ADI) has been developed. Starting from readily available l-phenylalanine and l-alanine, several CF(3)-ADIs were obtained through nucleophilic trifluoromethylation of gamma-keto esters and S(N)2' alkylation of trifluoromethylated mesylates. The influence of a trifluoromethyl group on the diastereoselectivity of the S(N)2' reaction is also discussed.

Modified Julia fluoroolefination: selective preparation of fluoroalkenoates

The modified Julia olefination reaction has been applied to develop a stereoselective synthesis of fluoroalkenoate derivatives from a fluorobenzothiazolyl sulfone and aldehydes or a ketone. The olefination reaction can be achieved by using a variety of bases. DBU and DBU in the presence of MgBr2 were found to be the most efficient systems to prepare either (Z)- or (E)-alkenoates in moderate to excellent stereoselectivity.

Fmoc-based solid-phase synthesis of GPR54-agonistic pentapeptide derivatives containing alkene- and fluoroalkene-dipeptide isosteres

Fmoc-protected Phe-Gly-type (Z)-alkene dipeptide isostere (ADI) and (E)-fluoroalkene dipeptide isostere (FADI) were synthesized and applied to Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). These cis-peptide bond mimetics were introduced into a bioactive pentapeptide [H-Amb-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Trp-NH(2); Amb = 4-(aminomethyl) benzoic acid], which has potent GPR54 agonistic activity. The resulting pentapeptide derivatives showed low GPR54 agonistic activity, as compared with the parent peptide and (E)-ADI-containing derivative. This suggests that the trans-amide conformer of Phe-Gly peptide bond of the parent peptide would be significantly important for bioactivity. Contrary to our expectations, a (Z)-FADI-containing derivative exhibited essentially no activity, revealing the necessity of critical validation of FADI-bioisosterism.

Chiral dipeptide mimics possessing a fluoroolefin moiety: a relevant tool for conformational and medicinal studies

The replacement of the amide bond in a peptide backbone is a promising strategy in peptidomimetic drug research. Over the various amide bond surrogates, the fluoroolefin moiety has been successfully developed as an effective mimic. Today, fluorine-containing compounds account for a large proportion of new active molecules in life sciences. The synthesis of fluoroolefin peptide mimics is not a trivial task and innovative approaches often need to be addressed, in particular for the stereocontrol of the double bond configuration and the chiral centres adjacent to the fluoroalkene. These fluorinated peptidomimetics have been synthesised and evaluated as metabolically stable and/or conformationally constrained analogs of enzyme inhibitors, and as tools for probing the function, structure, and binding process of receptors.