Asymmetric fluorocyclizations of alkenes

Chemoselective Pd-Based Dyotropic Rearrangement: Fluorocyclization and Regioselective Wacker Reaction of Homoallylic Amides

Fluorocyclization of alkenes tethered with a pronucleophile is an efficient transformation that converts easily accessible starting materials to fluorinated heterocycles in a single step. We report herein an unprecedented Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative domino process that transforms homoallylic amides to 5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-oxazines through a domino oxypalladation/PdII-oxidation/dyotropic rearrangement/reductive elimination sequence. Three chemical bonds are created under these operationally simple conditions. Taking advantage of the facile hydrolysis of the α-fluoro tertiary alkyl ether under acidic conditions, a one-pot conversion of homoallylic amides to homologated ketones is subsequently developed, which represents a rare example of regioselective Wacker oxidation reaction of 1,1-disubstituted alkenes.

Controlling the regioselectivity of the bromolactonization reaction in HFIP

The halolactonization reaction provides rapid access to densely functionalized lactones from unsaturated carboxylic acids. The endo/exo regioselectivity of this cyclization reaction is primarily determined by the electronic stabilization of alkene substituents, thus making it inherently dependent on substrate structures. Therefore this method often affords one type of halolactone regioisomer only. Herein, we introduce a simple and efficient method for regioselectivity-switchable bromolactonization reactions mediated by HFIP solvent. Two sets of reaction conditions were developed, each forming endo-products or exo-products in excellent regioselectivity. A combination of computational and experimental mechanistic studies not only confirmed the crucial role of HFIP, but also revealed the formation of endo-products under kinetic control and exo-products under thermodynamic control. This study paves the way for future work on the use of perfluorinated solvents to dictate reaction outcomes in organic synthesis.

Chiral Bis-phosphate Macrocycles for Catalytic, Efficient, and Enantioselective Electrophilic Fluorination

Incorporation of privileged catalytic scaffolds into a macrocyclic skeleton represents an attractive strategy to furnish supramolecular catalysis systems with enzyme-mimetic cavity and multi-site cooperation. Herein we reported the synthesis, structure, binding properties and catalytic application of a series of chiral bis-phosphate macrocycles toward the challenging asymmetric electrophilic fluorination. With a large, integrated chiral cavity and two cooperative phosphate sites, these macrocycles exhibited good inclusion toward 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) dicationic ammoniums through complementary ion-pair and C-H⋅⋅⋅O interactions, as confirmed by crystallographic and solution binding studies. In fluorocyclization of tryptamines with Selectfluor reagent which has a similar DABCO-based dicationic structure, only 2 mol% macrocycle catalyst afforded the desired pyrroloindoline products in moderate yields and up to 91 % ee. For comparison, the acyclic mono-phosphate analogue gave obviously lower reactivity and enantioselectivity (<20 % ee), suggesting a remarkable macrocyclic effect. The high catalytic efficiency and superior stereocontrol were ascribed to the tight ion-pair binding and cavity-directed noncovalent interaction cooperation.

Selective Hydrofunctionalization of Alkenyl Fluorides Enabled by Nickel-Catalyzed Hydrogen Atoms and Group Transfer: Reaction Development and Mechanistic Study

Due to the unique effect of fluorine atoms, the efficient construction of high-value alkyl fluorides has attracted significant interest in modern drug development. However, enantioselective catalytic strategies for the efficient assembly of highly functionalized chiral C(sp3)-F scaffolds from simple starting materials have been underutilized. Herein, we demonstrate a nickel-catalyzed radical transfer strategy for the efficient, modular, asymmetric hydrogenation and hydroalkylation of alkenyl fluorides with primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl halides under mild conditions. The transformation provides facile access to various structurally complex secondary and tertiary α-fluoro amide products from readily available starting materials with excellent substrate compatibility and distinct selectivity. Furthermore, the utility of this method is demonstrated by late-stage modifications and product derivatizations. Detailed mechanistic studies and DFT calculations have been conducted, showing that the rate-determining step for asymmetric hydrogenation reaction is NiH-HAT toward alkenyl fluorides and the stereo-determining step is alcohol coordination to Ni-enolates followed by a barrierless protonation. The mechanism for the asymmetric hydroalkylation reaction is also delivered in this investigation.

Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of 3a-Fluorofuro[3,2-b]indolines via Organocatalytic Aza-Friedel-Crafts Reaction/Selective C-F Bond Activation

Fluoroalkylated compounds are of high interest in drug discovery and have inspired the evolution of diverse C-F bond activation methodologies. However, the selective activation of polyfluorinated compounds remains challenging. Herein, we describe an unprecedented strategy for synthesizing enantioenriched fluorofuro[3,2-b]indolines through the organocatalytic aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction coupled with selective C-F bond activation. These reactions feature excellent enantioselectivities (≤96% ee) and yields (≤96%) as well as good functional group compatibility. Mechanistic investigations by means of 19F nuclear magnetic resonance experiments provided sufficient support for silica gel as the key medium in this transformation.

Palladium-Catalyzed Fluorinative Bifunctionalization of Aziridines and Azetidines with gem-Difluorocyclopropanes

An unprecedented Pd-catalyzed fluorinative bifunctionalization of aziridines and azetidines was successfully developed via regioselective C-C and C-F bond cleavage of gem-difluorocyclopropanes, leading to various β,β'-bisfluorinated amines and β,γ-bisfluorinated amines. This reaction was achieved by incorporating a 2-fluorinated allyl group and a fluorine atom scissored from gem-difluorocyclopropane in 100 % atom economy for the first time. The mechanistic investigations indicated that the reaction underwent amine attacking 2-fluorinated allyl palladium complex to generate η2 -coordinated N-allyl aziridine followed by fluoride ligand transfer affording the final β- and γ-fluorinated amines.

Forging Medium Rings via I(I)/I(III)-Catalyzed Diene Carbofunctionalization

A main-group catalysis-based strategy to access 8-membered carbocycles via the direct carbofunctionalization of 2-phenethyl-substituted 1,3-dienes is disclosed. Through the intervention of an I(I)/I(III) catalysis cycle, the synthesis of densely functionalized, fluorinated benzocyclooctenes can be achieved in an operationally simple manner. Modulating the oxidation/activation regime, and the external nucleophile, the process has been extended to unify the challenging cyclization with formation of allylic C-O, C-N, and C-C bonds (>30 examples). Derivatization of the product benzocyclooctenes is demonstrated together with X-ray conformational analysis, preliminary validation of enantioselective catalysis and a scalable resolution protocol.

Strategies for Nucleophilic C(sp3)-(Radio)Fluorination

This Perspective surveys the progress and current limitations of nucleophilic fluorination methodologies. Despite the long and rich history of C(sp³)-F bond construction in chemical research, the inherent challenges associated with this transformation have largely constrained nucleophilic fluorination to a privileged reaction platform. In recent years, the Doyle group─along with many others─has pursued the study and development of this transformation with the intent of generating deeper mechanistic understanding, developing user-friendly fluorination reagents, and contributing to the invention of synthetic methods capable of enabling radiofluorination. Studies from our laboratory are discussed along with recent developments from others in this field. Fluoride reagent development and the mechanistic implications of reagent identity are highlighted. We also outline the chemical space inaccessible by current synthetic technologies and a series of future directions in the field that can potentially fill the existing dark spaces.

Construction of a Chiral β-Fluoroamine by Asymmetric Mannich Reaction of 2-Fluoroindanone with Pyrazolinone Ketimines

The asymmetric Mannich reaction of 2-fluoroindanone with ketimine was developed under the catalysis of a kind of chiral copper complex, affording a chiral tetrahedral center containing fluorine. A series of β-fluoroamine derivatives can be obtained in excellent yields (73-94%) with high diastereoselectivities (>99:1 dr) and enantioselectivities (89-99%). The possible transition state was supported by density functional theory calculation.

Catalytic Site-, Diastereo-, and Enantioselective Cascade Iodocyclization of 2-Geranylarenols

A chiral amidophosphate-N-iodosuccinimide cooperative catalysis has been developed for the site-, diastereo-, and enantioselective iodocyclization of 2-geranylarenols with molecular iodine to give the corresponding iodo-containing polycyclic compounds with good levels of selectivity. This is the first example of a catalytic enantioselective iodocarbocyclization. A reactive chiral iodonium species is generated from molecular iodine via the dual halogen-bonding interactions with a chiral Lewis base and Lewis acid. The sterically demanding 3,3'-substituents of the chiral BINOL-derived amidophosphate are critical to induce the site-selective iodination at the less-hindered terminal alkenyl moiety of 2-geranylarenols.

Asymmetric Fluorofunctionalizations with Carboxylate-Based Phase-Transfer Catalysts

Fluorine is an attractive element in the field of pharmaceutical and agrochemical chemistry due to its unique properties. Considering the chiral environment in nature, where enantiomers often show different biological activities, the introduction of fluorine atom(s) into organic molecules to make chiral fluorinated compounds is an important subject. Herein, we describe the story of the development of our chiral carboxylate-based phase-transfer catalysts and their applications for asymmetric fluorocyclizations of alkenes bearing a carboxylic acid, an amide, and an oxime as an internal nucleophile with a dicationic fluorinating reagent, Selectfluor. We also describe dearomative fluorinations of indole derivatives, 2-naphthols, and resorcinols.

A Sterically Tuned Directing Auxiliary Promotes Catalytic 1,2-Carbofluorination of Alkenyl Carbonyl Compounds

The site-selective palladium-catalyzed three-component coupling of unactivated alkenyl carbonyl compounds, aryl- or alkenylboronic acids, and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide is described herein. Tuning of the steric environment on the bidentate directing auxiliary enhances regioselectivity and facilitates challenging C(sp3 )-F reductive elimination from a PdIV intermediate to afford 1,2-carbofluorination products in moderate to good yields.

Biomacromolecule-Assisted Screening for Reaction Discovery and Catalyst Optimization

Reaction discovery and catalyst screening lie at the heart of synthetic organic chemistry. While there are efforts at de novo catalyst design using computation/artificial intelligence, at its core, synthetic chemistry is an experimental science. This review overviews biomacromolecule-assisted screening methods and the follow-on elaboration of chemistry so discovered. All three types of biomacromolecules discussed─enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids─have been used as "sensors" to provide a readout on product chirality exploiting their native chirality. Enzymatic sensing methods yield both UV-spectrophotometric and visible, colorimetric readouts. Antibody sensors provide direct fluorescent readout upon analyte binding in some cases or provide for cat-ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay)-type readouts. DNA biomacromolecule-assisted screening allows for templation to facilitate reaction discovery, driving bimolecular reactions into a pseudo-unimolecular format. In addition, the ability to use DNA-encoded libraries permits the barcoding of reactants. All three types of biomacromolecule-based screens afford high sensitivity and selectivity. Among the chemical transformations discovered by enzymatic screening methods are the first Ni(0)-mediated asymmetric allylic amination and a new thiocyanopalladation/carbocyclization transformation in which both C-SCN and C-C bonds are fashioned sequentially. Cat-ELISA screening has identified new classes of sydnone-alkyne cycloadditions, and DNA-encoded screening has been exploited to uncover interesting oxidative Pd-mediated amido-alkyne/alkene coupling reactions.

Regio- and Enantioselective Intermolecular Aminofluorination of Alkenes via Iodine(I)/Iodine(III) Catalysis

The regio- and enantio-selective, intermolecular vicinal fluoroamination of α-trifluoromethyl styrenes has been achieved by enantioselective II /IIII catalysis. Leveraging C2 -symmetric resorcinol-based aryl iodide catalysts, it has been possible to intercept the transient iodonium intermediate using simple nitriles, which function as both the solvent and nucleophile. In situ Ritter reaction provides direct access to the corresponding amides (up to 89 % yield, e.r. 93 : 7). This main group catalysis paradigm inverts the intrinsic regioselectivity of the uncatalyzed process, thereby providing facile access to tertiary, benzylic stereocenters bearing both CF3 and F groups. Privileged phenethylamine pharmacophores can be generated in which there is complete local partial charge inversion (CF3δ- /Fδ- versus CH3δ+ /Hδ+ ). Crystallographic analyses of representative β-fluoroamide products reveal highly pre-organized conformations that manifest the stereoelectronic gauche effect.

Rational Computational Design of Systems Exhibiting Strong Halogen Bonding Involving Fluorine in Bicyclic Diamine Derivatives

Perhaps the most controversial and rare aspect of the halogen bonding interaction is the potential of fluorine in compounds to serve as a halogen bond donor. In this note, we provide clear and convincing examples of hypothetical molecules in which fluorine is strongly halogen bonding in a metastable state. Of particular note is a polycyclic system inspired by Selectfluor, which has been controversially proposed to engage in halogen bonding.

Asymmetric difluorocarbonylation reactions of non-active imines catalyzed by Bi(OAc)3/chiral phosphoric acid

Difluorinated carbonyl has been identified as the basic skeleton of multitudinous biologically active molecules.

Structure Dependence in Asymmetric Deprotonative Fluorination and Fluorocyclization Reactions of Allylamine Derivatives with Linked Binaphthyl Dicarboxylate Phase-Transfer Catalyst

The asymmetric fluorofunctionalization of γ,γ-disubstituted allylamine derivatives (e.g., 3, 7, and 8) was investigated using our dianionic phase-transfer catalyst. Depending on the substituents on the alkene moiety, the reaction afforded chiral allylic fluorides and fluorinated dihydrooxazines in a highly enantioselective manner (up to 99% ee). The absolute stereochemistry of these products was found to be opposite to that in our previously reported fluorocyclization of γ-monosubstituted allylic amides (e.g., 13 and 14). To probe this interesting phenomenon, we investigated the influence of the substitution pattern of the alkene moiety on the reaction by means of NMR experiments and kinetic studies. The rate laws of the deprotonative fluorination and the fluorocyclization of γ,γ-disubstituted substrates were v = k[cat]^0.6, while that of the fluorocyclization of γ-monosubstituted substrates was v = k[substrate][cat]^0.4. An exponent of less than 1 suggests the involvement of an aggregated state of the catalyst ion pair in the catalytic cycle. Interestingly, a positive nonlinear effect was observed in the reactions of the γ,γ-disubstituted substrates, while a negative nonlinear effect was observed in the case of the γ-monosubstituted substrates. Thus, the reaction pathway depends on the presence or absence of an alkyl substituent at the γ position of the substrates, and on the basis of our mechanistic studies we propose that the active catalytic species for γ,γ-disubstituted substrates is a catalyst ion pair aggregate, whereas that for γ-monosubstituted substrates is the more active monomeric catalyst ion pair species, even though its concentration would be low.

Three-component reaction of gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes with alkenes and B2pin2 for the synthesis of monofluoroalkenes

Borylative difunctionalization of alkenes has emerged as a powerful approach for synthesizing highly functionalized molecules. Herein, dual Cu/Pd-catalysed borylfluoroallylation of alkenes was smoothly achieved by using gem-difluorinated cyclopropanes and B2pin2, providing the corresponding monofluoroalkene scaffolds in moderate to high yields with excellent stereoselectivity. Moreover, an array of synthetic building blocks can be obtained by downstream transformations.

A Transient Directing Group Strategy Enables Enantioselective Multicomponent Organofluorine Synthesis

The vicinal fluorofunctionalization of alkenes represents an expedient strategy for converting feedstock olefins into valuable fluorinated molecules and as such has garnered significant attention from the synthetic community; however, current methods remain limited in terms of scope and selectivity. Here we report the site-selective palladium-catalyzed three-component coupling of alkenylbenzaldehydes, arylboronic acids, and N-fluoro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate facilitated by a transient directing group. The synthetically enabling methodology constructs vicinal stereocenters with excellent regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities, forging products that map onto bioactive compounds.

Fluorocyclization of Allyl Alcohols and Amines to Access 3-Functionalized Oxetanes and Azetidines

An efficient method to prepare 3-functionalized oxetanes and azetidines has been realized by fluorocyclization of readily available 2-azidoallyl/2-alkoxyallyl alcohols and amines. Notably, this is the first example applying the fluorocyclization strategy to construct four-membered heterocycles. The pendant electron-donating group (-N₃ or -OR) plays a crucial role in polarizing the C═C double bond and facilitating the cyclization process, as verified by DFT and experimental studies.

Enantioselective Construction of Tertiary Fluoride Stereocenters by Organocatalytic Fluorocyclization

1,1-Disubstituted styrenes with internal oxygen and nitrogen nucleophiles undergo oxidative fluorocyclization reactions with in situ generated chiral iodine(III)-catalysts. The resulting fluorinated tetrahydrofurans and pyrrolidines contain a tertiary carbon–fluorine stereocenter. Application of a new 1-naphthyllactic acid-based iodine(III)-catalyst allows the control of tertiary carbon–fluorine stereocenters with up to 96% ee. Density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate the details of the mechanism and the factors governing the stereoselectivity of the reaction.

Cu(I)-Catalyzed addition-cycloisomerization difunctionalization reaction of 1,3-enyne-alkylidenecyclopropanes (ACPs)

A copper(i)-catalyzed three-component addition-cycloisomerization difunctionalization reaction of 1,3-enyne-ACPs with Togni I reagent and TMSCN under mild reaction conditions has been developed, affording 3-trifluoroethylcyclopenta[b]naphthalene-4-carbonitrile derivatives. The reaction proceeded through a copper(i)-catalyzed 1,4-addition of conjugated 1,3-enynes via a radical relay process and aromatic cycloisomerization of allene-ACP intermediates.

1,4-Fluoroamination of 1,3-Enynes en Route to Fluorinated Allenes

The regioselective synthesis of fluorinated allenes via a metal-free 1,4-fluoroamination of 1,3-enynes is presented. This method employs commercially available N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide serving as both the nitrogen source and the fluorine source, affording access to various tetrasubstituted allenes in a straightforward and atom-economic pathway. Preliminary mechanistic studies and theoretical studies revealed that this reaction might undergo an intimate ion-pair mechanism.

Fluorofunctionalizations of C-C Multiple Bonds and C-H Bonds

In spite of only a few naturally occurring products having one or more fluorine atoms, organofluorine compounds have been widely utilized in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and functional material science fields due to the characteristic properties of the fluorine atom. Therefore, the development of new methods for the introduction of fluorine-containing functional groups has been a long-standing research topic. This article discusses our contributions to this area. The first topic is on the trifluoromethylations of C-C multiple bonds using Togni reagent based on our working hypothesis that hypervalent iodine could be activated by coordination of the carbonyl moiety to the Lewis acid catalyst. The second topic relates to asymmetric fluorofunctionalization of alkenes. A newly designed phase-transfer catalyst consisting of a carboxylate anion functioning as a phase-transfer agent and a primary hydroxyl group as a site that captures the anionic substrate was revealed to be an effective catalyst for asymmetric fluorolactonization. Inspired by the mechanistic studies of fluorolactonization, we produced a linked binaphthyl dicarboxylate catalyst, which catalyzes the 6-endo-fluorocyclization and the deprotonative fluorination of allylic amides in a highly enantioselective manner. The third topic is on C-H fluorofunctionalizations using either catalysis or photoactivation. Benzylic trifluoromethylation, which is still a rare reaction, using Togni reagent and aromatic C-H trifluoromethylation using Umemoto reagent under simple photoirradiation conditions were achieved. In addition, the Csp³-H fluorination of alkyl phthalimide derivatives is demonstrated.

Silver-Mediated Intermolecular Iodotrifluoromethoxylation of Alkenes

For the first time, intermolecular iodotrifluoromethoxylation between alkenes and NIS with AgF as the catalyst and TFMS as the trifluoromethoxylation reagent has been explored. The practical processes, good functional group tolerance, and easy scalability make this reaction an attractive protocol for the synthesis of trifluoromethoxylated iodides, which can be readily used for further synthetic manipulation.

Enantioselective 5-exo-Fluorocyclization of Ene-Oximes

The enantioselective 5-exo-fluorocyclization of ene-oxime compounds was demonstrated under phase-transfer catalysis. Although deprotonative fluorinations competed, the chemical yields and the ee values of the desired isoxazoline products were generally moderate to good. The absolute stereochemistry of the major isomer was determined to be S by comparison with the literature after transformation of the product to the corresponding iodinated isoxazoline.

Enantioselective construction of remote tertiary carbon-fluorine bonds

The carbon-fluorine bond engenders distinctive physicochemical properties and significant changes to general reactivity. The development of catalytic, enantioselective methods to set stereocentres that contain a benzylic C-F bond is a rapidly evolving goal in synthetic chemistry. Although there have been notable advances that enable the construction of secondary stereocentres that contain both a C-F and a C-H bond on the same carbon, significantly fewer strategies are defined to access stereocentres that incorporate a tertiary C-F bond, especially those remote from pre-existing activating groups. Here we report a general method that establishes C-F tertiary benzylic stereocentres by forging a C-C bond via a Pd-catalysed enantioselective Heck reaction of acyclic alkenyl fluorides with arylboronic acids. This method provides a platform to rapidly incorporate significant functionality about the benzylic tertiary fluoride by virtue of the diversity of both reaction partners, as well as the ability to install the stereocentres remotely from pre-existing functional groups.