Ligand-Less Iron-Catalyzed Aromatic Cross-Coupling Difluoromethylation of Grignard Reagents with Difluoroiodomethane

New synthetic approaches for the construction of difluoromethylated architectures

Fluorinated compounds play a vital role in the fields of agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and materials science because of their unique lipophilicity, permeability, and metabolic stability. Among all such appealing fluorine-containing functional groups, the difluoromethyl group has attracted considerable attention owing to its outstanding chemical and physical properties. It has been used as a lipophilic hydrogen bond donor and a bioisostere of thiol, hydroxy, or amino groups. The excellent properties of the CF2H group have motivated many chemists to develop effective strategies for the selective incorporation of the CF2H group into target molecules. Over the past decades, a variety of efficient, atom-economical, and facile methods have been discovered for the difluoromethylation of organic substrates. This review summarizes the developments in different types of difluoromethylations, which could be classified into the following categories: radical difluoromethylation, transition metal-catalyzed difluoromethylation, and nucleophilic and electrophilic difluoromethylation.

Selective Defluorination of Trifluoromethyl Substituents by Conformationally Induced Remote Substitution

The selective reduction of an aromatic trifluoromethyl substituent to a difluoromethyl substituent may be achieved by base-promoted elimination to form a difluoro-p-quinomethide which is trapped by an intramolecular nucleophile. High yields are obtained when the nucleophilic trap entails the conformationally favoured cyclisation of an aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) derivative. The resulting cyclised difluoromethyl-substituted arylimidazolidinone products are readily converted to versatile difluoromethyl-substituted aldehydes by reduction and hydrolysis. Defluorination is successful on a range of benzenoid (both para and ortho CF3-substituted) and heterocyclic substrates. Double defluorination may likewise be achieved sequentially, or in a single step, from an Aib dipeptide derivative.

Silver-Promoted Rapid Synthesis of 3-Arylindan-1-ones: Microwave-Assisted Reductive Coupling of N-Tosylhydrazone and Boronic Acids

An efficient and straightforward one-pot tandem synthesis of 3-arylindan-1-ones was consummated through silver nitrate-promoted C-C coupling of simple indane-1,3-dione with arylboronic acid via 1,3-indanedione monotosylhydrazone under microwave conditions. The resulting series of 3-arylindan-1-ones exhibited impressive yields, surpassing those achievable with traditional methods and requiring a shorter time frame. This innovative approach significantly accelerated the synthesis of biologically active compounds such as (+)-indatraline (Lu 19-005) and several other industrially relevant substances.

Metal-free synthesis of difluoro/trifluoromethyl carbinol-containing chromones via tandem cyclization of o-hydroxyaryl enaminones

We herein propose a HFIP-promoted tandem cyclization reaction for the synthesis of difluoro/trifluoromethyl carbinol-containing chromones from o-hydroxyphenyl enaminones at room temperature. This protocol provides a facile and efficient approach to access diverse difluoro/trifluoromethylated carbinols in good to excellent yields. In addition, gram-scale and synthetic derivatization experiments have also been performed.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Difluoromethylation-Alkynylation of Olefins by Solving the Dilemma between Acidities and Reduction Potentials of Difluoromethylating Agents

Molecules containing a difluoromethyl group or a propargylic stereocenter are widely used in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, and 1,2-functionalization of olefins is an important method for introducing the two groups into molecules simultaneously. The construction of the propargylic stereocenter with terminal alkynes usually requires bases. However, difluoromethylating agents with high reduction potentials often decompose in the presence of bases because of their acidities, and those with low reduction potentials are stable but difficult to undergo the desired single electron transfer (SET) reduction. Using the linear relationship between reduction potential differences (ΔE) and Hammett substituent constants (σ) of difluoromethyl aryl sulfones, we solved the dilemma between acidities and reduction potentials of difluoromethylating agents. Herein, we report the first enantioselective difluoromethylation-alkynylation of olefins with difluoromethyl 4-chlorophenyl sulfone with high enantioselectivity (>90 % ee). We also extended this asymmetric fluoroalkylation-alkynylation reaction with other fluoroalkyl sulfones, which enabled efficient installation of trifluoromethyl, difluoroalkyl, difluorobenzyl, (benzenesulfonyl)-difluoromethyl and monofluoromethyl groups into products.

Difluoromethylation of Heterocycles via a Radical Process

Difluoromethylation is of prime importance for its applicability in functionalizing diverse fluorine-containing heterocycles, which are core moieties of various biologically and pharmacologically active ingredients. Due to their significant biological and...

Iron-Catalyzed Fluoroalkylation of Arylborates with Sulfone Reagents: Beyond the Limitation of Reduction Potential

The iron-catalyzed alkyl-aryl coupling reaction between sulfones and arylboron compounds has remained a challenge. We report the first iron-catalyzed radical difluoroalkylation of arylborates with N-heteroaryl sulfones. The coordination between the iron catalyst and the nitrogen atom of N-heteroaryl sulfones was identified to be important in overcoming the reduction potential limitation of sulfones in the intermolecular single-electron-transfer process, which enables both fluoroalkyl N-heteroaryl sulfones (with relatively high reduction potentials) and nonfluorinated alkyl N-heteroaryl sulfones (with low reduction potentials) to serve as powerful alkylation reagents.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Grignard Reagents

Transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of organo­halides, ethers, sulfides, amines, and alcohols (and derivatives thereof) with Grignard reagents, known as the Kumada–Tamao–Corriu reaction, can be used to prepare important intermediates in the synthesis of numerous­ biologically active compounds. The most frequently used transition metals are nickel, palladium, and iron, but there are several examples for cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by copper, cobalt, manganese, chromium, etc. salts and complexes. The aim of this review is to summarize the most important transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions realized in the period 2000 to 2020.

1 Introduction

2 Nickel Catalysis

3 Palladium Catalysis

4 Iron Catalysis

5 Catalysis by Other Transition Metals

5.1 Cobalt Catalysis

5.2 Copper Catalysis

5.3 Manganese Catalysis

5.4 Chromium Catalysis

6 Conclusion