Stereoselective Synthesis of Monofluoroalkyl α,β-Unsaturated Ketones From Allenyl Carbinol Esters Mediated by Gold and Selectfluor

Synthesis, Reactivity, and Bonding of Gold(I) Fluorido-Phosphine Complexes

Gold(I) fluorido complexes with phosphine ligands have been synthesized from their respective iodido precursors. The bonding situation in comparison between complexes bearing phosphines and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) was explored quantum-chemically, obtaining similar results for both. Calculations of the ¹⁹F NMR chemical shifts match the experimental values well, including the approximately 40 ppm low-field shifts for the phosphine complexes compared to the NHC complexes, in spite of similar negative charges on fluorine. The reactivity of the highly water-sensitive gold(I) fluorido complexes was studied, resulting in substitution at the metal using trimethylsilyl reagents. The compounds studied were characterized using NMR as well as X-ray diffraction methods.

Catalytically Generated Vanadium Enolates Formed via Interruption of the Meyer-Schuster Rearrangement as Useful Reactive Intermediates

Enolate chemistry is one of the most fundamental strategies for the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Classically, this has been accomplished through the use of stoichiometric quantities of strong base and cryogenic reaction temperatures. However, these techniques present issues related to enolate regioselectivity and functional group tolerance. While more modern methods utilizing stoichiometric activating agents have overcome some of these limitations, these processes add additional steps and suffer from poor atom economy. While certain classes of highly acidic nucleophiles have enabled the development of elegant and general catalytic solutions to address all of these limitations, functionalizing less acidic nucleophiles remains difficult.To overcome these challenges, we developed an alternative general approach for the formation and subsequent functionalization of metal enolates that leverages catalytic amounts of Lewis acid and entirely avoids the need for exogenous base or stoichiometric additives. To do so, we re-engineered the classical Meyer-Schuster rearrangement, which normally converts propargylic alcohols into α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. By careful control of reaction conditions and by selection of an appropriate vanadium-oxo catalyst, the transient metal enolates formed via the 1,3-transposition of propargylic or allenylic alcohols can be guided away from simple protonation reaction pathways and toward more synthetically productive carbon-carbon, carbon-halogen, and carbon-nitrogen bond-forming processes.By utilizing readily available propargylic and allenylic alcohols as our starting materials and relying on a catalytic 1,3-transposition to generate metal enolates in situ, all issues related to the regioselectivity of enolate formation are resolved. Likewise, utilization of a simple isomerization for enolate formation results in a highly efficient process that can be 100% atom economical. The mild reaction conditions employed also allow for remarkable chemoselectivity. Functional groups not typically conducive to enolate chemistry, such as alkynyl ketones, methyl ketones, free alcohols, and primary alkyl halides, are all well tolerated. Finally, by varying the substitution patterns of the alcohol starting materials, enolates of ketones, esters, and even amides are all accessible.Utilizing this strategy starting from propargylic alcohols, we have developed functionalization reactions that produce highly substituted and geometrically defined α-functionalized α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Such processes include aldol, Mannich, and electrophilic halogenation reactions, as well as dual catalytic reactions wherein catalytically generated vanadium enolates are trapped with catalytically generated palladium π-allyl electrophiles. In the case of allenylic alcohols, we have developed complementary aldol, Mannich, halogenation, and dual catalytic processes to generate α'-functionalized α,β-unsaturated carbonyl products.The results described in this work showcase the power and generality of our alternative approach to enolate chemistry. Additionally, we point out unaddressed challenges in the field and invite other groups to help innovate in these areas.

Double Enzyme-Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of Enantiocomplementary Vicinal Fluoro Alcohols

A double-enzyme-catalyzed strategy for the synthesis of enantiocomplementary vicinal fluoro alcohols through a one-pot, three-step process including lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis, spontaneous decarboxylative fluorination, and subsequent ketoreductase-catalyzed reduction was developed. With this approach, β-ketonic esters were converted to the corresponding vicinal fluoro alcohols with high isolated yields (up to 92%) and stereoselectivities (up to 99%). This new cascade process addresses some issues in comparison with traditional methods such as environmentally hazardous reaction conditions and low stereoselectivity outcome.

Synthesis of 3-selanylbenzo[b]furans promoted by SelectFluor®

A simple and practical protocol for the synthesis of 3-selanyl-benzo[b]furans mediated by the SelectFluor® reagent was developed. This novel methodology provided a greener alternative to generate 3-substituted-benzo[b]furans via a metal-free procedure under mild conditions. The intramolecular cyclization reaction was carried out employing an electrophilic selenium species generated in situ through the reaction between SelectFluor® and organic diselenides. The formation of this electrophilic selenium species (RSe-F) was confirmed by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy, and its reactivity was explored.

Catalyst free synthesis of α-fluoro-β-hydroxy ketones/α-fluoro-ynols via electrophilic fluorination of tertiary propargyl alcohols using Selectfluor™ (F-TEDA-BF4)

A facile access to α-fluoro-β-hydroxyketones via electrophilic fluorination.

A New Fluorinated Tyrosinase Inhibitor from a Chemically Engineered Essential Oil

The generation of fluorinated essential oils as a source of bioactive compounds is described. Most of the components of the natural mixtures were altered, leading to the discovery of a new fluorinated tyrosinase inhibitor.

Gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization of trifluoromethylated allenols: sustainability and mechanistic studies

Trifluoromethyl-substituted α-allenols are cyclized to the corresponding 2,5-dihydrofurans in the presence of neutral or cationic gold catalysts.

The catalyst free synthesis of α-fluorinated aroylacyl imides

A convenient catalyst free one pot method to synthesize α-fluorinated aroylacyl imides with very good yields utilizing inexpensive reagents such as NaF and DMSO.

Copper(ii)-catalyzed cross dehydrogenative coupling reaction of N-hydroxyphthalimide with alkanes and ethers via unactivated C(sp3)–H activation at room temperature

This reaction system shows mild condition and broad substrate scope for generation of O-substituted N-hydroxyphthalimide derivatives via unactivated C(sp³)–H activation.

Copper-catalyzed oxidative esterification of unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds with carboxylic acids via cross dehydrogenative coupling

An effective copper-catalyzed esterification of unactivated (non-benzylic and allylic) C(sp³)–H bonds of hydrocarbons with Selectfluor as an oxidant has been developed.

Gold-catalyzed reactions of propargylic esters with vinylazides for the synthesis of Z- or E-configured buta-1,3-dien-2-yl esters

Gold-catalyzed synthesis of buta-1,3-dien-2-yl esters by the reaction of propargyl esters with vinylazides is described; the reaction mechanism is postulated to involve a vinyl attack of vinylazides at alkenyl gold carbenes.

Synthesis of α,β-unsaturated α'-haloketones through the chemoselective addition of halomethyllithiums to Weinreb amides

A straightforward synthesis of variously functionalized α,β-unsaturated α'-haloketones has been achieved through the chemoselective addition of halomethyllithium carbenoids to Weinreb amides at -78 °C. A comparative study employing the corresponding esters under the same reaction conditions pointed out that the instability of the tetrahedral intermediate formed from the latter is responsible for the observed formation of carbinols instead of the desired haloketones.