Ordering the relative power of electrophilic fluorinating, trifluoromethylating, and trifluoromethylthiolating reagents: A summary of recent efforts

Review and Theoretical Analysis of Fluorinated Radicals in Direct CAr-H Functionalization of (Hetero)arenes

We highlight key contributions in the field of direct radical CAr- H (hetero)aromatic functionalization involving fluorinated radicals. A compilation of Functional Group Transfer Reagents and their diverse activation mechanisms leading to the release of radicals are discussed. The substrate scope for each radical is analyzed and classified into three categories according to the electronic properties of the substrates. Density functional theory computational analysis provides insights into the chemical reactivity of several fluorinated radicals through their electrophilicity and nucleophilicity parameters. Theoretical analysis of their reduction potentials also highlights the remarkable correlation between electrophilicity and oxidizing ability. It is also established that highly fluorinated radicals (e.g. ⋅OCF3) are capable of engaging in single-electron transfer (SET) processes rather than radical addition, which is in good agreement with experimental literature data. A reactivity scale, based on activation barrier of addition of these radicals to benzene is also elaborated using the high accuracy DLPNO-(U)CCSD(T) method.

Cascade Oxidative Trifluoromethylthiolation and Cyclization of 3-Alkyl-1-(2-(alkynyl)phenyl)indoles

Persulfate-promoted radical cascade trifluoromethylthiolation and cyclization of 3-alkyl-1-(2-(alkynyl)phenyl)indoles with AgSCF₃ were investigated. This protocol provides a novel route to CF₃S-substituted indolo[1,2-a]quinoline-7-carbaldehydes and CF₃S-substituted indolo[1,2-a]quinoline-7-methanone derivatives via the formation of the C-SCF₃ bond and C-C bond and benzylic carbon oxidation in a single step. This reaction can accommodate a broad range of functional groups. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction data confirm the chemical structure of the product. A scale-up experiment and radical inhibition experiments were operated in the reaction system. Photophysical properties of some selected 5-((trifluoromethyl)thio)indolo[1,2-a]quinoline-7-carbaldehydes were studied by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy.

A Toolbox of Reagents for Trifluoromethylthiolation: From Serendipitous Findings to Rational Design

Two types of electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents were developed in the past 10 years in our laboratory. The development of the first type of reagent, trifluoromethanesulfenate I, which is highly reactive toward a variety of nucleophiles, was based on an unexpected discovery in the initial design for the development of an electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent with a hypervalent iodine skeleton. A structure-activity study disclosed that α-cumyl trifluoromethanesulfenate (reagent II) without the iodo substituent is equally effective. Subsequent derivatization let us develop an α-cumyl bromodifluoromethanesulfenate III that could be used for the preparation of [¹⁸F]ArSCF₃. To remediate the low reactivity of the type I electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent for Friedel-Crafts trifluoromethylthiolation of electron-rich (hetero)arenes, we designed and prepared N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin IV, which exhibits broad reactivity toward various nucleophiles, including electron-rich arenes. A comparison of the structure of N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin IV with that of N-trifluoromethylthiophthalimide showed that the replacement of one carbonyl group in N-trifluoromethylthiophthalimide with a sulfonyl group made N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin IV much more electrophilic. Thus, the replacement of both carbonyls with two sulfonyl groups would further increase the electrophilicity. Such a rationale prompted us to design and develop the current most electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent, N-trifluoromethylthiodibenzenesulfonimide V, and its reactivity was much higher than that of N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin IV. We further developed an optically pure electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent, (1S)-(-)-N-trifluoromethylthio-2,10-camphorsultam VI, for the preparation of optically active trifluoromethylthio-substituted carbon stereogenic centers. Reagents I-VI now constitute a powerful toolbox for the introduction of the trifluoromethylthio group into the target molecules.

Synthesis, structural characterization, reactivity and catalytic activity of mixed halo/triflate ArI(OTf)(X) species

Both mixed λ³-iodoarenes and λ³-iodoarenes possessing -OTf ligands are coveted for their enhanced reactivities. Here we describe the synthesis, reactivity, and comprehensive characterisation of two new ArI(OTf)(X) species, a class of compound that were previously only invoked as reactive intermediates where X = Cl, F and their divergent reactivity with aryl substrates. A new catalytic system for electrophilic chlorination of deactivated arenes using Cl₂ as the chlorine source and ArI/HOTf as the catalyst is also described.

Theoretical Study on the Origin of Abnormal Regioselectivity in Ring-Opening Reaction of Hexafluoropropylene Oxide

That nucleophiles preferentially attack at the less sterically hindered carbon of epoxides under neutral and basic conditions has been generally accepted as a fundamental rule for predicting the regioselectivity of this type of reaction. However, this rule does not hold for perfluorinated epoxides, such as hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO), in which nucleophiles were found to attack at the more hindered CF₃ substituted β-C rather than the fluorine substituted α-C. In this contribution, we aim to shed light on the nature of this intriguing regioselectivity by density functional theory methods. Our calculations well reproduced the observed abnormal regioselectivities and revealed that the unusual regiochemical preference for the sterically hindered β-C of HFPO mainly arises from the lower destabilizing distortion energy needed to reach the corresponding ring-opening transition state. The higher distortion energy required for the attack of the less sterically hindered α-C results from a significant strengthening of the C(α)-O bond by the negative hyperconjugation between the lone pair of epoxide O atom and the antibonding C-F orbital.

An N-Fluorinated Imide for Practical Catalytic Imidations

Catalytic imidation using NFSI as the nitrogen source has become an emerging tool for oxidative carbon-nitrogen bond formation. However, the less than ideal benzenesulfonimide moiety is incorporated into products, severely detracting its synthetic value. As a solution to this challenge, we report herein the development of a novel N-fluorinated imide, N-fluoro-N-(fluorosulfonyl)carbamate (NFC), by which the attached imide moiety acts as a modular synthetic handle for one-step derivatization to amines, sulfonamides, and sulfamides. Furthermore, this study revealed the superior reactivity of NFC as showcased in a copper-catalyzed imidation of benzene derivatives and imidocyanation of aliphatic alkenes, overcoming the limitation of NFSI-mediated reactions.

A machine learning approach for predicting the fluorination strength of electrophilic fluorinating reagents

A neural network algorithm utilizing SMILES encoding of organic molecules was successfully employed for predicting the fluorination strength of a wide range of N–F fluorinating reagents.

Trifluoromethylthiolation of Hindered α-Bromoamides with Nucleophilic Trifluoromethylthiolating Reagents

General methods have not been previously developed for the synthesis of sterically hindered α-SCF₃-substituted carbonyl compounds using nucleophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents. Thus, we herein report sp³C-SCF₃ bond formation in hindered α-bromoamides containing 3-bromo-oxindoles and linear α-bromoamides using CuSCF₃ or AgSCF₃ under mild conditions to access sterically hindered α-SCF₃-substituted amides. This transformation is applicable to not only 3-SCF₃-substituted oxindoles but also primary and secondary amides and reveals a broad functional group tolerance. This method will benefit the fields of medicinal and agricultural chemistry.

Relating Bond Strength and Nature to the Thermodynamic Stability of Hypervalent Togni-Type Iodine Compounds

The bond strength and nature of a set of 32 Togni-like reagents have been investigated at the M062X/def2-TZVP(D) level of theory in acetonitrile described with the SMD continuum solvent model, to rationalize the main factors responsible for their thermodynamic stability in different conformations, and trifluoromethylation capabilities. For the assessment of bond strength, we utilized local stretching force constants and associated bond strength orders, complemented with local features of the electron density to access the nature of the bonds. Bond dissociation energies varied from 31.6 to 79.9 kcal/mol depending on the polarizing power of the ligand trans to CF3 . Based on the analysis of the Laplacian of the density, we propose that the charge-shift bond character plays an important role in the stability of the molecules studied, especially for those containing I-O bonds. New insights on the trans influence and on possible ways to fine-tune the stability of these reagents are provided.

Synthesis of N-Trifluoromethanesulfinyl Ketimines by Cascade Trifluoromethylthiolation/Rearrangement of Ketoximes

A new and efficient cascade electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolation/radical rearrangement reaction of ketoximes is reported using N-trifluoromethylthio-dibenzenesulfonimide as the SCF₃ source without any additives. This simple one-pot reaction provides the corresponding N-trifluoromethanesulfinyl ketimine products in good yields with high E selectivity under mild reaction conditions.

Metal-Free Direct Trifluoromethylthiolation of Aromatic Compounds Using Triptycenyl Sulfide Catalyst

Herein we report an efficient synthetic method for the electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolation of aromatic compounds. The key is to use triptycenyl sulfide (Trip-SMe) and TfOH to enhance the electrophilicity of SCF₃ fragment through the formation of sulfonium intermediates. This method enables direct installation of an SCF₃ group onto unactivated aromatics at room temperature, adopting a commercially available saccharin-based reagent. Preliminary DFT calculation was carried out to investigate the substitution effect on the catalytic activity.

Photo-induced energy transfer relay of N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis: an asymmetric α-fluorination/isomerization cascade

The geometric configuration of olefin products is often driven by thermodynamic control in synthesis. Methods enabling switching of cis/trans selectivity are rare. Recently, photosensitized approaches have emerged as a powerful tool for accomplishing this task. In this report, we report an in situ isomerization of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-bound intermediate by a photo-induced energy transfer process that leads to selective access of chiral allylic fluorides with a cis-olefin geometry. In the absence of a photocatalyst or light, the reaction proceeds smoothly to give (E)-olefin products, while the (Z)-isomer can be obtained under photosensitizing conditions. Preliminary mechanistic experiments suggest that an energy transfer process might be operative.

Synthesis of α-Trifluoromethylthio-α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds by DABCO-Mediated Electrophilic Trifluoromethylthiolation with N-SCF3-Dibenzenesulfonimide

A DABCO-mediated electrophilic α-trifluoromethylthiolation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds comprising no β-substituents has been achieved using N-trifluoromethylthio-dibenzenesulfonimide as the SCF₃ source. The direct trifluoromethylthiolation provides the corresponding α-trifluoromethylthio-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl products in good yields (up to 88%). Furthermore, the vinyl group in the α-trifluoromethylthio-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl product was successfully transformed into diverse functional groups in good to excellent yields (70-95%) by reactions such as epoxidation, aziridination, hydrocyanation, and hydrogenation.

One-bond 1 J(15 N─19 F) spin-spin coupling constants of cationic fluorinating reagents: Insights from DFT calculations

We have investigated, by means of density functional theory protocols, the one-bond ¹ J(¹⁵ N─¹⁹ F) spin-spin coupling constants in a series of fluorinating reagents, containing the N─F bond, recently studied experimentally. The results of the calculations show a very good linear relationship with the experimental values, even though only the M06-2X(PCM)/pcJ-2//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level affords a very low mean absolute error. The calculations allow to analyze the various molecular orbitals contributions to the J coupling and to rationalize the observed positive sign, corresponding to a negative sign of the reduced spin-pin coupling constant K(N─F). Moreover, of the four Ramsey contributions, only the diamagnetic spin orbit is negligible, whereas the paramagnetic spin orbit and spin dipole terms decrease the magnitude of the Fermi contact (FC) term by an amount that goes from a minimum of 35% up to more than 60% of the FC term itself. Several effects have been investigated, namely, the contribution of the long-range solvent reaction field, relativistic corrections, and conformational and vibrational effects.

Cu-Mediated arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides

An unprecedented arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides in the presence of copper is described. The reaction proceeded at 100-140 °C under ligand- and additive-free conditions for 3-20 h to form a variety of unsymmetrical diaryl selenides in good to high yields. Arylselenylation is easy to operate, has good functional group tolerance, and demonstrates the different reaction profiles of trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides from the homologous trifluoromethyl aryl sulfonium ylides.

Facile synthesis of chiral ε-sultams via an organocatalytic aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction

Chiral ε-sultams, with their unique strain cyclic structure, are a type of molecule with important biological activities. A facile enantioselective aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of seven-membered cyclic N-sulfonylimines with naphthols was developed with a cinchona alkaloid-based bifunctional organocatalyst, giving chiral ε-sultams with an enantiomeric excess of up to 92%.

Trifluoromethylthiolation-arylation of diazocarbonyl compounds by modified Hooz multicomponent coupling

A new Zn-mediated trifluoromethylthiolation-based bifunctionalization reaction is developed. In this process, simultaneous C-SCF3 and C-C bond formation takes place in a multicomponent reaction, in which an aryl and a SCF3 group arise from different reagents. Our studies show that the reaction mechanism is similar to the Hooz multicomponent coupling. The process involves in situ generation of BAr3, which reacts with a diazocarbonyl compound, and the reaction is terminated by an electrophilic SCF3 transfer. The reaction can also be extended to fluorination based bifunctionalization which proceeds with somewhat lower yield than the analogous trifluoromethylthiolation reaction.

Designing new Togni reagents by computation

New trifluoromethylating reagents are designed based on trans influence and steric effect.