A new synthesis of 2-fluoro-1-olefins

Handling fluorinated gases as solid reagents using metal-organic frameworks

Fluorine is an increasingly common substituent in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals because it improves the bioavailability and metabolic stability of organic molecules. Fluorinated gases represent intuitive building blocks for the late-stage installation of fluorinated groups, but they are generally overlooked because they require the use of specialized equipment. We report a general strategy for handling fluorinated gases as benchtop-stable solid reagents using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Gas-MOF reagents are prepared on gram-scale and used to facilitate fluorovinylation and fluoroalkylation reactions. Encapsulation of gas-MOF reagents within wax enables stable storage on the benchtop and controlled release into solution upon sonication, which represents a safer alternative to handling the gas directly. Furthermore, our approach enables high-throughput reaction development with these gases.

Selective Synthesis of Monofluorinated Compounds Applying Amine/HF Reagents

For nucleophilic monofluorination, amine/HF reagents such as Et3 N⋅3HF, Pyr⋅9HF (Olah's reagent) and similar combinations belong to the most frequently used fluoride sources, whereupon the selectivity of these reagents can be very different depending of its acidity, the nucleophilicity of the fluoride equivalent, and the structure of the particular substrate. These reagents can be used safely in ordinary chemistry laboratories for nucleophilic substitution reactions by fluoride at sp3 -hybridized carbon centers. For ring opening reactions of epoxides, the regio- and stereoselectivity is very much depending of the nature of the epoxide and the acidity of the HF reagent favoring either SN 1 or SN 2 type reactions. Similarly, the outcome of halofluorination and similar reactions with sulfur or seleno electrophiles can be controlled by the particular combination of the electrophile and the fluoride source. Examples for the application of these reaction types for the synthesis of fluorine-containing analogues of natural products or biologically relevant compounds are in the focus of this personal account.

Expedient synthesis of α-substituted fluoroethenes

A mild and efficient synthesis of 1-aryl-1-fluoroethenes from benzothiazolyl (aryl)fluoromethyl sulfones and paraformaldehyde, under DBU- or Cs(2)CO(3)-mediated conditions at room temperature, is described. A comparable diethyl fluoro(naphthalen-2-yl)methylphosphonate reagent does not react with paraformaldehyde under these mild conditions. The utility of the methodology for synthesis of terminal α-fluoroalkenes bearing electron-withdrawing functionalities is also shown.

First detection of a selenenyl fluoride ArSe-F by NMR spectroscopy: the nature of Ar2Se2/XeF2 and ArSe-SiMe3/XeF2 reagents

Arylselenenyl fluorides ArSeF are obtained from diselenides Ar2Se2 or arylselenotrimethylsilanes ArSe-SiMe3, and XeF2. They are detected by low-temperature 19F and 77Se NMR spectroscopy. Substitution in the ortho position of the aromatic ring to provide electronic or steric protection is a requirement for their formation. ArSe--F compounds decompose according to 3 ArSe-F-->[ArSe-SeF2Ar]+ArSe-F-->ArSeF3+Ar2Se2. Reaction energies for this disproportionation as well as that of the sulfur and tellurium homologues have been calculated with MP2, CCSD(T,) and B3 LYP methods. They were found to be increasingly exothermic in the sequence S<Se<Te. For selected Se-C and Se-F compounds the 77Se and 19F chemical shifts have been calculated by GIAO-MP2 and GIAO-B3 LYP methods and are in good agreement with experimental values.