Rhodium(III) Catalyzed Regioselective and Stereospecific Allylic Arylation in Water by β-Fluorine Elimination of the Allylic Fluoride: Toward the Synthesis of Z-Alkenyl-Unsaturated Amides

Fluoride-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Silylamides to CF3-Acrylates: Access to Highly Functionalized Trifluoromethylated and Quaternary Fluorinated Molecular Architectures

A direct and simple catalytic coupling of nonfluorinated and fluorinated silylbutenamides with β-CF3 α,β-unsaturated esters mediated by fluoride ion was carried out. The transformation proceeded with excellent yields to afford new, highly functionalized trifluoromethylated and quaternary fluorinated products.

Chelation enables selectivity control in enantioconvergent Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings on acyclic allylic systems

Asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings with aryl boronic acids and allylic electrophiles are a powerful method to convert racemic mixtures into enantioenriched products. Currently, enantioconvergent allylic arylations are limited to substrates that are symmetrical about the allylic unit, and the absence of strategies to control regio-, E/Z- and enantioselectivity in acyclic allylic systems is a major restriction. Here, using a system capable of either conjugate addition or allylic arylation, we have discovered the structural features and experimental conditions that allow an acyclic system to undergo chemo- and regioselective, enantioconvergent allylic Suzuki-Miyaura-type arylation. A wide variety of boronic acid coupling partners can be used, and both alkyl and aromatic substituents are tolerated on the allylic unit so that a wide variety of structures can be obtained. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the chelating ability of the ester group is crucial to obtaining high regio- and enantioselectivity. Using this method, we were able to synthesize the natural products (S)-curcumene and (S)-4,7-dimethyl-1-tetralone and the clinically used antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft).

Rh(III)-Catalyzed Reaction of 4-Diazoisochroman-3-imines with (2-Formylaryl)boronic Acids To Access a Straightforward Construction of 5H-Isochromeno[3,4-c]isoquinolines

An Rh(III)-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 5H-isochromeno[3,4-c]isoquinolines from readily available 4-diazoisochroman-3-imines and (2-formylphenyl)boronic acids is reported. The cascade annulation involves a Rh(III)-catalyzed cross-coupling and an intramolecular nucleophilic addition-elimination process. A series of biologically important 5H-isochromeno[3,4-c]isoquinolines were obtained in good to excellent yields. The method can be extended to synthesize 7H-isochromeno[3,4-b]thieno[3,2-d]pyridines and 7H-isochromeno[3,4-b]thieno[2,3-d]pyridines from the corresponding heteroaryl boronic acids.

Performance and degradation pathway of florfenicol antibiotic by nitrogen-doped biochar supported zero-valent iron and zero-valent copper: A combined experimental and DFT study

Fluorinated compounds are a class of organic substances resistant to degradation. Although zero-valent iron (Fe0) has a promising reducing capability, it still fails to degrade fluorine-containing antibiotics (i.e., florfenicol) efficiently. In this study, we applied a simple one-pot pyrolytic approach to synthesize nitrogen-doped biochar supported Fe0 and zero-valent copper (Cu0) composite (Fe/Cu@NBC) and investigated its performance on florfenicol removal. The results clearly showed that approximately 91.4% of florfenicol in the deionized water was removed by Fe/Cu@NBC within 8 h. As the reaction time was extended to 15 d, the total degradation rate of florfenicol reached 96.6%, in which the defluorination and dechlorination rates were 73.2% and 82.1%, respectively. Both experimental results and density functional theory calculation suggested that ∙OH and ·O2- triggered β-fluorine elimination, resulting in defluorination prior to dechlorination. This new finding was distinct from previous viewpoints that defluorination was more difficult to occur than dechlorination. Fe/Cu@NBC also had a favorable performance for removal of florfenicol in surface water. This study provides a new insight into the degradation mechanism and pathway of florfenicol removal in the Fe/Cu@NBC system, which can be a promising alternative for remediation of fluorinated organic compounds in the environment.

Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Allyl-Aryl Cross-Electrophile Coupling via Allylic C-F Bond Activation

Nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling of allylic difluorides with aryl iodides was achieved via allylic C-F bond activation. Based on this protocol, a series of γ-arylated monofluoroalkenes were synthesized in moderate to high yields with high Z-selectivities. Mechanistic studies suggest that the C-I bonds of the aryl iodides and the C-F bonds of the allylic difluorides were cleaved via oxidative addition and β-fluorine elimination, respectively, where the oxidative addition of less reactive C-F bonds was avoided to permit their transformation.

Iridium(III) Catalyzed Z-Selective Allylic Arylation of α-Fluoro But-1-enoic Acid Amides via β-F-Elimination in Water

Allylic arylation of α-fluoro but-1-enoic acid amides with arylboronic acids was carried out in water by comparing the catalytic activity of iridium(III) and rhodium(III). Ir(III) has shown a strong superiority over Rh(III) to give allyl-aryl coupling products with excellent stereoselectivity in favor of the Z-isomer. The origin of high stereoselectivity is perhaps because of the a coordination of iridium Ir-N or Ir-O.

Chirality memory of α-methylene-π-allyl iridium species

Chirality is one of the most important types of steric information in nature. In addition to central chirality, axial chirality has been catching more and more attention from scientists. However, although much attention has recently been paid to the creation of axial chirality and the chirality transfer of allenes, no study has been disclosed as to the memory of such an axial chirality. The reason is very obvious: the chiral information is stored over three carbon atoms. Here, the first example of the memory of chirality (MOC) of allenes has been recorded, which was realized via an optically active alkylidene-π-allyl iridium intermediate, leading to a highly stereoselective electrophilic allenylation with amines. Specifically, we have established the transition metal-mediated highly stereoselective 2,3-allenylation of amines by using optically active 2,3-allenyl carbonates under the catalysis of a nonchiral iridium(iii) complex. This method is compatible with sterically bulky and small substituents on both amines and 2,3-allenyl carbonates and furnishes the desired optically active products with a high efficiency of chirality transfer. Further mechanistic experiments reveal that the isomerization of the optically active alkylidene-π-allyl iridium intermediate is very slow.

Chirality is one of the most important types of steric information in nature.