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.

Turning the Other Cheek: Influence of the cis-Tetrafluorocyclohexyl Motif on Physicochemical and Metabolic Properties

The targeted introduction of substituents in order to tailor a molecule’s pharmacologic, physicochemical, and metabolic properties has long been of interest to medicinal chemists. The all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl motif—dubbed Janus face, due to its electrostatically polarized cyclohexyl ring—represents one such example where chemists might incorporate a metabolically stable, polar, lipocompatible motif. To better understand its potential utility, we have synthesized three series of matched molecular pairs (MMPs) where each MMP differs only in the cyclohexane unit, i.e., with a tetrafluorocyclohexyl or a standard cyclohexyl motif. With the introduction of the facially polarized all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring, the resulting compounds have significantly modified physicochemical properties (e.g., kinetic solubility, lipophilicity and permeability) and metabolic stabilities. These results further speak to the promise of this substituent as a tactic to improve the drug-like properties of molecules.

Fluorinated Rings: Conformation and Application

The introduction of fluorine atoms into molecules and materials across many fields of academic and industrial research is now commonplace, owing to their unique properties. A particularly interesting feature is the impact of fluorine substitution on the relative orientation of a C-F bond when incorporated into organic molecules. In this Review, we will be discussing the conformational behavior of fluorinated aliphatic carbo- and heterocyclic systems. The conformational preference of each system is associated with various interactions introduced by fluorine substitution such as charge-dipole, dipole-dipole, and hyperconjugative interactions. The contribution of each interaction on the stabilization of the fluorinated alicyclic system, which manifests itself in low conformations, will be discussed in detail. The novelty of this feature will be demonstrated by presenting the most recent applications.

Polarity Matters: Dielectric Relaxation in All-cis-Multifluorinated Cycloalkanes

The polarity of all-cis-multifluorinated cyclohexanes can be fine-tuned by the number and relative orientation of fluoro substituents, giving rise to a series of compounds with strong dipole moments. Simulations provided the energetics, the dipole moments, and the respective molecular polarizabilities, while dielectric spectroscopy gave information on the dielectric permittivities and the molecular dynamics. In special cases, dipole moments in excess of 6 D and dielectric permittivities of over 300 were obtained by simulation and experiment. Melting temperatures within a given family of multifluorinated cyclohexanes were found to scale with the molecular volume. The less-symmetric all-cis-octafluorotetrahydronaphthalene did not readily crystallize, permitting an investigation of the molecular dynamics in an energetically unfavorable yet rigid and facially polarized isomer. The resulting dynamics above the glass temperature conform to the structural α-relaxation and to the celebrated Johari-Goldstein β-relaxation.

Understanding the Conformational Behavior of Fluorinated Piperidines: The Origin of the Axial-F Preference

Gaining an understanding of the conformational behavior of fluorinated compounds would allow for expansion of the current molecular design toolbox. In order to facilitate drug discovery efforts, a systematic survey of a series of diversely substituted and protected fluorinated piperidine derivatives has been carried out using NMR spectroscopy. Computational investigations reveal that, in addition to established delocalization forces such as charge–dipole interactions and hyperconjugation, solvation and solvent polarity play a major role. This work codifies a new design principle for conformationally rigid molecular scaffolds.

Polar Organofluorine Substituents: Multivicinal Fluorines on Alkyl Chains and Alicyclic Rings

This Review outlines the progression, primarily of our own work, but with important contributions from other labs, on the synthesis and properties of multiple vicinally fluorinated alkyl chains and rings. Chain conformations of individual diastereoisomers with -CHF- at adjacent carbons are influenced by stereoelectronic factors associated with the polar C-F bond and the polarised geminal hydrogens. Generally, the chain will prefer a conformation which acts to minimise overall molecular polarity, and where the C-F bonds orient away from each other. However, when vicinal fluorine atoms are positioned on a ring then conformations are more constrained. The ring will adopt optimal conformations such as a chair in cyclohexane and then C-F bonds can be introduced with a stereochemistry that forces parallel (axial) orientations. In the case of cyclohexane, 1,3-diaxial arrangements of C-F bonds impart considerable polarity to the ring, resulting in an electronegative 'fluorine face' and an electropositive 'hydrogen face'. For all-syn 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane, this arrangement generates an unusually polar aliphatic ring system. Most recently the concept has been extended to the preparation of all-syn 1,2,3-trifluorocyclopropanes, a rigid ring system with fluorine atoms on one face and hydrogens on the other. Lipophilicity Log P values of such compounds indicate that they are significantly more polar than their parent alicyclic hydrocarbons and give some positive indication for a future role of such substituents in medicinal chemistry. Expanding to such a role will require access to improved synthesis methods to these motifs and consequently access to a broader a range of building blocks, however some exciting new methods have emerged recently and these are briefly reviewed.

Unexpected α,α'-difluoroethers from Ag(i)F and N-bromosuccinimide reactions of dibenzo[a,e]cyclooctatetraene

An unexpected and highly efficient reaction of dibenzo[a,e]cyclooctatetraene with Ag(i)F and N-bromosuccinamide in dichloromethane results in a sequential ring contraction pathway to generate bridged bicyclic α,α'-difluoroether isomers 10 and 11 where the ether oxygen is isotopically labelled from oxygen-18 water. In diethyl ether the same reaction generates the more classical vicinal difluoride isomers 13 and 14.

Selective Arene Hydrogenation for Direct Access to Saturated Carbo- and Heterocycles

Arene hydrogenation provides direct access to saturated carbo- and heterocycles and thus its strategic application may be used to shorten synthetic routes. This powerful transformation is widely applied in industry and is expected to facilitate major breakthroughs in the applied sciences. The ability to overcome aromaticity while controlling diastereo-, enantio-, and chemoselectivity is central to the use of hydrogenation in the preparation of complex molecules. In general, the hydrogenation of multisubstituted arenes yields predominantly the cis isomer. Enantiocontrol is imparted by chiral auxiliaries, Brønsted acids, or transition-metal catalysts. Recent studies have demonstrated that highly chemoselective transformations are possible. Such methods and the underlying strategies are reviewed herein, with an emphasis on synthetically useful examples that employ readily available catalysts.

Fluorinated liquid crystals: evaluation of selectively fluorinated facially polarised cyclohexyl motifs for liquid crystal applications

This paper explores the synthesis of a series of prototype negative dielectric liquid crystalline (LC) compounds which contain fluorinated cyclohexane motifs. The series are analogues and differ only in that they contain between one to four fluorine atoms. The stereochemistry is such that all of the fluorines/C-F bonds are on one face of the cyclohexane ring. This follows from the recent recognition that cyclohexanes with fluorines orientated in one direction, perpendicular to the ring have a strong molecular dipole, a characteristic that might be an advantage in the design of negative dielectric materials. However it is found that the increased polarity, particularly with two or more oriented C-F bonds, leads to higher melting points and poorer solubility in test matrix formulations, relative to hydrocarbon liquid crystals. This arises due to electrostatic intermolecular interactions between the polarised cyclohexyl and aryl rings. The study highlights that in order to take advantage of these polar cyclohexane motifs for liquid crystal design, appropriate scaffolds are required which are free of aromatic rings and contain peripheral solubilising motifs.

Fluorinated cyclohexanes: Synthesis of amine building blocks of the all-cis 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorocyclohexylamine motif

This paper reports the synthesis of three amine stereoisomers 5a–c of the tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring system, as building blocks for discovery chemistry programmes. The synthesis starts from a Birch reduction of benzonitrile, followed by an in situ methyl iodide quench. The resultant 2,5-cyclohexadiene was progressed via double epoxidations and then hydrofluorination ring opening reactions. The resultant fluorohydrin moieties were then converted to different stereoisomers of the tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring system, and then reductive hydrogenation of the nitrile delivered three amine stereoisomers. It proved necessary to place a methyl group on the cyclohexane ring in order to stabilise the compound against subsequent HF elimination. The two all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl isomers 5a and 5b constitute facially polarized cyclohexane rings, with fluorines on the electronegative face and hydrogens on the electropositive face.

Noncovalently bound complexes of polar molecules: dipole-inside-of-dipole vs. dipole–dipole systems

Complexes of polar molecules framed by counter-ions exhibit significant stabilities, huge dipole moments, prominent IR-spectral signatures and feasible anion-mediated formation.

Rearrangements of organic peroxides and related processes

This review is the first to collate and summarize main data on named and unnamed rearrangement reactions of peroxides. It should be noted, that in the chemistry of peroxides two types of processes are considered under the term rearrangements. These are conventional rearrangements occurring with the retention of the molecular weight and transformations of one of the peroxide moieties after O-O-bond cleavage. Detailed information about the Baeyer-Villiger, Criegee, Hock, Kornblum-DeLaMare, Dakin, Elbs, Schenck, Smith, Wieland, and Story reactions is given. Unnamed rearrangements of organic peroxides and related processes are also analyzed. The rearrangements and related processes of important natural and synthetic peroxides are discussed separately.

Polar alicyclic rings: synthesis and structure of all cis-1,2,3,4-tetrafluorocyclopentane

All-cis-1,2,3,4-tetrafluorocyclopentane is synthesised and experiment and theory data reveal a very highly polar aliphatic with Janus like electropositive and electronegative faces.

A re-investigation of 4JFF and 5JFF nuclear spin–spin couplings in substituted benzenes, a novel conformational tool

The FF couplings in fluorobenzenes are separated into their σ and π components and this provides a novel method of determining the conformation of the C-1 substituent in 2,6-difluorobenzenes.

Selectively fluorinated cyclohexane building blocks: Derivatives of carbonylated all-cis-3-phenyl-1,2,4,5-tetrafluorocyclohexane

Palladium catalysed carbonylation reactions using the meta- and para-iodo derivatives of all-cis-3-phenyl-1,2,4,5-tetrafluorocyclohexane (4) are illustrated as the start point for a variety of functional group interconversions. The resultant benzaldehyde and benzoic acids offer novel building blocks for further derivatisation and facilitate the incorporation of the facially polarised all-cis-1,2,4,5-tetrafluorocyclohexane motif into more advanced molecular scaffolds.

Fluorine containing amino acids: synthesis and peptide coupling of amino acids containing the all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl motif

A synthesis of amino acids carrying the all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring moiety is demonstrated and protection/deprotection elaborations are illustrated which show that this facially polarised ring motif may be incorporated into peptides.

Particularly strong C–H⋯π interactions between benzene and all-cis 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane

According to high-level ab initio results (SCS-MP2/CBS), the interaction energy between all-cis 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane and a benzene molecule is at least −6 kcal mol⁻¹, remarkably large for C–H⋯π interactions between hydrocarbons.

Stepwise preparation of all-cis 1,3,4-trifluoro-2-phenylcyclohexane, avoiding a phenonium intermediate

The original synthesis of all-cis 1,2,4,5,-tetrafluoro-2-phenylcyclohexane resulted in a trifluorocyclohexene as a significant co-product of the final fluorination step. This product was notable in that an elimination reaction was accompanied by C-F bond formation that had occurred with a retention of configuration. In order to deconvolute this reaction, the two isomers of the ditriflate diol precursor were separated, and they were each treated independently with Et3N·3HF. One gave the original all-cis 1,2,4,5,-tetrafluoro-2-phenylcyclohexane and the other the trifluorocyclohexene. A deuterium labeling experiment was carried out, resulting in a distribution of the isotope in the trifluorocyclohexene consistent with an intermediate (symmetrical) phenonium intermediate. Cognisant of this, a controlled elimination reaction of one of the diastereoisomers with DBU, followed by hydrogenation, gave a cyclohexane triflate, which, on fluorination, gave the all-cis 1,2,3-trifluoro-2-phenylcyclohexane now with an inversion of configuration.

Fluorocyclohexanes: synthesis and structure of all-syn-1,2,4,5-tetrafluorocyclohexane

The all-syn isomer of 1,2,4,5-tetrafluorocyclohexane is prepared and characterised by NMR and X-ray crystallography. It emerges to be a particularly polar cyclohexane analogue with differentially polarised faces.

The preferred conformation of erythro- and threo-1,2-difluorocyclododecanes

Cyclododecane adopts a square-like structure with corner and edge CH₂ groups. In this study erythro- and threo-1,2-difluorocyclododecanes were prepared to explore whether the two vicinal C–F bonds, with different relative configurations, preferably locate at corner/edge or edge/edge locations. Conformational analysis comparing the diastereoisomers was explored by using a combination of ¹⁹F{¹H} NMR spectroscopy, computational studies and, in the case of the threo isomer, X-ray structural analysis. In the lowest energy conformers for both diastereoisomers the vicinal C–F bonds are located corner/edge, rather than edge/edge. These structures avoid placing a C–F bond endo into the ring, and appear to benefit from C–CHF–C angle widening, which relaxes 1,4-H,H transannular interactions.