Fluorophilicity Switch by Solvation

A new type of fluorous distannoxanes, [XRf2SnOSnRf2Y]2 (Rf = C6F13C2H4; X, Y = C6F13SO3 (2) and (C6F13SO2)2N, Cl (3)) was prepared successfully as hydrates from the reaction of [ClRf2SnOSnRf2Cl]2 with C6F13SO3Ag and (C6F13SO2)2NAg, respectively. Despite their high fluorine content (59.85 and 59.27% F), these distannoxanes were completely insoluble in fluorocarbons as well as hydrocarbons and halo alkanes. In contrast to this, fluorous distannoxanes 2 and 3 were soluble in polar organic solvents, such as EtOAc, acetone, and THF. When 2 and 3 were added to a two-phase mixture of fluorocarbon and EtOAc, the mixture turned miscible in proportion to the amount of 2 and 3 added, and finally, the mixture turned to a homogeneous solution.

Organotin Perfluorooctanesulfonates as Air-Stable Lewis Acid Catalysts: Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalysis

The reactions of 1,3-dichloro-1,1,3,3-tetrabutyldistannoxane and dialkyltin dihalides with silver perfluorooctanesulfonate provided the corresponding sulfonates as hydrates. The number of water molecules (n) of hydration was dependent on the conditions. The distannoxane derivative was identified as n from 0.5 to 6, while in the hydrated mononuclear species and DMSO complexes n varied widely from 4 to 13. 119Sn NMR spectroscopy and conductivity measurements indicated the ionic dissociation of these compounds in solution. These compounds exhibited unusually high solubility in polar organic solvents. The ionic dissociation together with facile hydration probably causes the unusual solubility. The Lewis acidity of these compounds was found to be high among organotin derivatives on the basis of ESR spectra of superoxide/metal-ion complexes. In contrast to well-known organotin triflates, these compounds suffered no hydrolysis upon storage in open air. The high catalytic activity of the distannoxane 1 was exemplified for various carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, such as Mukaiyama-aldol as well as -Michael reactions and allylation of aldehydes.