Can acyclic conformational control be achieved via a sulfur-fluorine gauche effect?

Accumulation, Characterization and Reactivity of Chiral Ammonium-Carboxonium Dications in Superacid

The accumulation of chiral ammonium-oxocarbenium dications in superacid is evidenced by low-temperature NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and confirmed by DFT calculations. Its potential for the diastereoselective remote hydrofunctionalization of non-activated alkene is also explored.

5-(Trifluorovinyl)dibenzothiophenium Triflate: Introducing the 1,1,2-Trifluoroethylene Tether in Drug-Like Structures

This manuscript reports the synthesis and structure of an unprecedented sulfonium salt, 5-(trifluorovinyl)dibenzothiophenium triflate, and its use as a versatile reagent for the introduction of the bioisosteric 1,1,2-trifluoroethylene linker in drug-like structures. The protocol developed consists of the reaction of this compound with alcohols and phenols to deliver a complete set of 1,2,2-trifluoro-2-(alkoxy-/aryloxy)ethyl sulfonium salts, which have been purified by column chromatography and fully characterized. Subsequent single electron reduction under mild photochemical conditions efficiently affords the corresponding fluoroalkyl radicals that are trapped either intra- or intermolecularly through their reaction with (hetero)arenes. Theoretical calculations are used to evaluate the conformational consequences derived from the presence of the CF₂ -CHF tether.

Hydrogen Bonding Phase-Transfer Catalysis with Alkali Metal Fluorides and Beyond

Phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) is one of the most powerful catalytic manifolds for asymmetric synthesis. Chiral cationic or anionic PTC strategies have enabled a variety of transformations, yet studies on the use of insoluble inorganic salts as nucleophiles for the synthesis of enantioenriched molecules have remained elusive. A long-standing challenge is the development of methods for asymmetric carbon-fluorine bond formation from readily available and cost-effective alkali metal fluorides. In this Perspective, we describe how H-bond donors can provide a solution through fluoride binding. We use examples, primarily from our own research, to discuss how hydrogen bonding interactions impact fluoride reactivity and the role of H-bond donors as phase-transfer catalysts to bring solid-phase alkali metal fluorides in solution. These studies led to hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis (HB-PTC), a new concept in PTC, originally crafted for alkali metal fluorides but offering opportunities beyond enantioselective fluorination. Looking ahead, the unlimited options that one can consider to diversify the H-bond donor, the inorganic salt, and the electrophile, herald a new era in phase-transfer catalysis. Whether abundant inorganic salts of lattice energy significantly higher than those studied to date could be considered as nucleophiles, e.g., CaF₂, remains an open question, with solutions that may be found through synergistic PTC catalysis or beyond PTC.

Theoretical and X-ray evidence of electrostatic phosphonium anti and gauche effects

Sulfur, not phosphorus, is the only known third-row element capable of experiencing an electrostatic gauche effect with fluorine. Some six-membered rings containing an endocyclic phosphorus atom and a β-fluorine substituent that can interconvert to axial ( gauche relative to phosphorus) and equatorial positions were then analysed. While phosphines do not establish an electrostatic attraction between fluorine and phosphorus, some oxidised forms exhibit surprising stability for the sterically disfavoured axial orientation. Because the nature of this behaviour was not obvious, since an intramolecular hydrogen bond can appear, a phosphonium derivative was further studied and its axial conformation was found to be highly stable. A preference for the gauche arrangement appears even for the acyclic and sterically hindered (2-fluoroethyl)triphenylphosphonium cation. On the other hand, (ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(phosphonium) cations are exclusively in anti conformation due to an (+/+)-electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged phosphonium groups.

Applications of fluorine to the construction of bioisosteric elements for the purposes of novel drug discovery

Introduction There continues to be an exponential rise in the number of small molecule drugs that contain either a fluorine atom or a fluorinated fragment. While the unique properties of fluorine enable the precise modulation of a molecule's physicochemical properties, strategic bioisosteric replacement of fragments with fluorinated moieties represents an area of significant growth.Areas covered This review discusses the strategic employment of fluorine substitution in the design and development of bioisosteres in medicinal chemistry. In addition, the classic exploitation of trifluoroethylamine group as an amide bioisostere is discussed. In each of the case studies presented, emphasis is placed on the context-dependent influence of the fluorinated fragment on the overall properties/binding of the compound of interest.Expert opinion Whereas utilization of bioisosteric replacements to modify molecular structures is commonplace within drug discovery, the overarching lesson to be learned is that the chances of success with this strategy significantly increase as the knowledge of the structure/environment of the biological target grows. Coupled to this, breakthroughs and learnings achieved using bioisosteres within a specific program are context-based, and though may be helpful in guiding future intuition, will not necessarily be directly translated to future programs. Another important point is to bear in mind what implications a structural change based on a bioisosteric replacement will have on the candidate molecule. Finally, the development of new methods and reagents for the controlled regioselective introduction of fluorine and fluorinated moieties into biologically relevant compounds particularly in drug discovery remains a contemporary challenge in organic chemistry.

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.

The Gauche Effect in XCH2 CH2 X Revisited

We have quantum chemically investigated the rotational isomerism of 1,2-dihaloethanes XCH2 CH2 X (X = F, Cl, Br, I) at ZORA-BP86-D3(BJ)/QZ4P. Our Kohn-Sham molecular orbital (KS-MO) analyses reveal that hyperconjugative orbital interactions favor the gauche conformation in all cases (X = F-I), not only for X = F as in the current model of this so-called gauche effect. We show that, instead, it is the interplay of hyperconjugation with Pauli repulsion between lone-pair-type orbitals on the halogen substituents that constitutes the causal mechanism for the gauche effect. Thus, only in the case of the relatively small fluorine atoms, steric Pauli repulsion is too weak to overrule the gauche preference of the hyperconjugative orbital interactions. For the larger halogens, X⋅⋅⋅X steric Pauli repulsion becomes sufficiently destabilizing to shift the energetic preference from gauche to anti, despite the opposite preference of hyperconjugation.

Conformational Analysis of Acyclic α-Fluoro Sulfur Motifs

Bioactive small molecules containing α-fluoro sulfur motifs [RS(O)n CH2 F] are appearing with increasing frequency in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors. Prominent examples include the anti-asthma drug Flovent® and the phenylpyrazole insecticide pyrafluprole. Given the popularity of these structural units in bioactive small molecule design, together with the varying oxidation states of sulfur, a conformational analysis of α-fluoro sulfides, sulfoxides, and sulfones, would be instructive in order to delineate the non-covalent interactions that manifest themselves in structure. A combined crystallographic and computational analysis demonstrates the importance of hyperconjugative donor-acceptor interactions in achieving acyclic conformational control. The conformational disparity in the syn- and anti-diastereoisomers of α-fluorosulfoxides is particularly noteworthy.

Ligand's electronegativity controls the sense of enantioselectivity in BIFOP-X palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations

Palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations of Na(CH(CO₂Me)₂ with 1,3-diphenylallyl acetate, employing BIFOP-X (X = H, D, Cl, CN, N3) ligands, yield the C–C coupling product (up to 91% yield, 70% ee). A NBO effect reveals a change of stereochemistry.

Exploring physicochemical space via a bioisostere of the trifluoromethyl and ethyl groups (BITE): attenuating lipophilicity in fluorinated analogues of Gilenya® for multiple sclerosis

The direct, catalytic vicinal difluorination of terminal alkenes via an I(i)/I(iii) manifold was exploited to install a chiral, hybrid bioisostere of the CF3 and Et groups (BITE) in Gilenya®; the first orally available drug for the clinical management of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This subtle fluorination pattern allows lipophilicity (log D) to be tempered compared to the corresponding CF3 and Et derivatives (CH2CH3 > CH2CF3 > CHFCH2F).

Informing Molecular Design by Stereoelectronic Theory: The Fluorine Gauche Effect in Catalysis

The axioms of stereoelectronic theory constitute an atlas to navigate the contours of molecular space. All too rarely lauded, the advent and development of stereoelectronic theory has been one of organic chemistry's greatest triumphs. Inevitably, however, in the absence of a comprehensive treatise, many of the field's pioneers do not receive the veneration that they merit. Rather their legacies are the stereoelectronic pillars that persist in teaching and research. This ubiquity continues to afford practitioners of organic chemistry with an abundance of opportunities for creative endeavor in reaction design, in conceiving novel activation modes, in preorganizing intermediates, or in stabilizing productive transition states and products. Antipodal to steric governance, which mitigates destabilizing nonbonding interactions, stereoelectronic control allows well-defined, often complementary, conformations to be populated. Indeed, the prevalence of stabilizing hyperconjugative interactions in biosynthetic processes renders this approach to molecular preorganization decidedly biomimetic and, by extension, expansive. In this Account, the evolution and application of a simple donor-acceptor model based on the fluorine gauche effect is delineated. Founded on reinforcing hyperconjugative interactions involving C(sp³)-H bonding orbitals and C(sp³)-X antibonding orbitals [σ_C-H → σ_C-X*], this general stratagem has been used in conjunction with an array of secondary noncovalent interactions to achieve acyclic conformational control (ACC) in structures of interest. These secondary effects range from 1,3-allylic strain (A^1,3) through to electrostatic charge-dipole and cation-π interactions. Synergy between these interactions ensures that rotation about strategic C(sp³)-C(sp³) bonds is subject to the stereoelectronic requirement for antiperiplanarity (180°). Logically, in a generic [X-CH₂-CH₂-Y] system (X, Y = electron withdrawing groups) conformations in which the two C(sp³)-X bonds are synclinal (i.e., gauche) are significantly populated. As such, simple donor-acceptor models are didactically and predictively powerful in achieving topological preorganization. In the case of the gauche effect, the low steric demand of fluorine ensures that the remaining substituents at the C(sp³) hybridized center are placed in a predictable area of molecular space: An exit vector analogy is thus appropriate. Furthermore, the intrinsic chemical stability of the C-F bond is advantageous, thus it may be considered as an inert conformational steering group: This juxtaposition of size and electronegativity renders fluorinated organic molecules unique among the organo-halogen series. Cognizant that the replacement of one fluorine atom in the difluoroethylene motif by another electron withdrawing group preserves the gauche conformation, it was reasoned that β-fluoroamines would be intriguing candidates for investigation. The burgeoning field of Lewis base catalysis, particularly via iminium ion activation, provided a timely platform from which to explore a postulated fluorine-iminium ion gauche effect. Necessarily, activation of this stereoelectronic effect requires a process of intramolecularization to generate the electron deficient neighboring group: Examples include protonation, condensation to generate iminium salts, or acylation. This process, akin to substrate binding, has obvious parallels with enzymatic catalysis, since it perturbs the conformational dynamics of the system [ synclinal-endo, antiperiplanar, synclinal-exo]. This Account details the development of conformationally predictable small molecules based on the [X-C_α-C_β-F] motif through a logical process of molecular design and illustrates their synthetic value in enantioselective catalysis.

Asymmetric nucleophilic fluorination under hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis

Common anionic nucleophiles such as those derived from inorganic salts have not been used for enantioselective catalysis because of their insolubility. Here, we report that merging hydrogen bonding and phase-transfer catalysis provides an effective mode of activation for nucleophiles that are insoluble in organic solvents. This catalytic manifold relies on hydrogen bonding complexation to render nucleophiles soluble and reactive, while simultaneously inducing asymmetry in the ensuing transformation. We demonstrate the concept using a chiral bis-urea catalyst to form a tridentate hydrogen bonding complex with fluoride from its cesium salt, thereby enabling highly efficient enantioselective ring opening of episulfonium ion. This fluorination method is synthetically valuable considering the scarcity of alternative protocols and points the way to wider application of the catalytic approach with diverse anionic nucleophiles.

Not all third-row elements experience the fluorine gauche effect: β-fluorinated organophosphorus compounds

Conformational analyses of β-fluorinated organophosphorus compounds were theoretically carried out to probe the role of a possible fluorine–phosphorus gauche effect in conformer stabilization, specifically using a phosphine, a phosphine oxide, phosphinic and phosphonic acids, and the corresponding anions as model compounds.

Theoretical study of azido gauche effect and its origin

The strength and origin of the azido gauche effect were studied by ab initio calculations and compared with the well-known fluorine gauche effect.

Orbital Control of Photochemical Rearrangement of 4-Aryl-1,1-dicyano-1-butenes through the Hyperconjugative Substitution on the Linker Chain

Hyperconjugative interaction was demonstrated to play a vital role in the photochemistry of 4-aryl-1,1-dicyano-1-butenes. Thus a simple substituent on the benzylic position effectively induced a new photoreactivity to afford an allylic rearrangement product that is not obtained for the parent substrate. The natural bond orbital analysis was employed to reveal the enhanced relative contributions of hyperconjugation in the excited state, which dramatically alter the photochemical outcomes not only by reducing the strength of the allylic/benzylic bond but more crucially by affecting the conformer distribution.

Emulating Natural Product Conformation by Cooperative, Non-Covalent Fluorine Interactions

Pervasive in Nature, the propane unit is an essential component of numerous bioactive molecules. These range from acyclic systems, such as the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid, through to the bicyclic nuclei of various chromanes and dihydrobenzofurans. In the latter case, cyclisation via cyclic ether formation ensures a highly pre-organised structure, whilst linear scaffolds display more dynamic conformational behaviour resulting from rotation about the two internal C(sp³ )-C(sp³ ) bonds. In this study, the replacement of -[CH₂ ]- units by -[CHF]- centres is evaluated as a strategy to achieve acyclic conformational control by hindering these internal rotations. Reinforcing, non-covalent fluorine interactions are validated as powerful design features that result in programmable conformational behaviours: These are encoded by the relative configuration of each centre. By exploiting cooperative neighbouring stereoelectronic effects in a multi-vicinal fluoroalkane it is possible to emulate the overall conformation of the dihydrobenzofuran scaffold found in a variety of natural products with an acyclic mimic. This is described as a function of two bond vectors at the chain termini and validated by combined theoretical, crystallographic and spectroscopic analyses. In view of the favourable physicochemical properties associated with fluorine introduction, this approach to bioactive scaffold design may prove to be expansive.

Difluoromethanesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylides for electrophilic difluoromethylthiolation reactions under copper catalysis

Difluoromethanesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylides 2 were developed as electrophilic difluoromethylthiolation reagents for a wide range of nucleophiles. Enamines, indoles, β-keto esters, silyl enol ethers and pyrroles were effectively reacted with 2 affording desired difluoromethylthio (SCF2H)-substituted compounds in good to high yields under copper catalysis. The reaction of allyl alcohols with 2 under the same conditions provided difluoromethylsulfinyl (S(O)CF2H) products in good yields. The difluoromethylthiolation of enamines is particularly effective with wide generality, thus the enamine method was nicely extended to the synthesis of a series of difluoromethythiolated cyclic and acyclic β-keto esters, 1,3-diketones, pyrazole and pyrimidine derivatives by a consecutive, two-step one-pot reaction using 2.