Patrick S. Fier

Copper-Mediated Difluoromethylation of Aryl and Vinyl Iodides

Selectively fluorinated molecules are important as materials, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals, but their synthesis by simple, mild, laboratory methods is challenging. We report a straightforward method for the cross-coupling of aryl and vinyl iodides with a difluoromethyl group generated from readily available reagents to form difluoromethylarenes and difluoromethyl-substituted alkenes. The reaction of electron-neutral, electron-rich, and sterically hindered aryl and vinyl iodides with the combination of CuI, CsF and TMSCF(2)H leads to the formation of difluoromethyl-substituted products in high yield with good functional group compatibility. This transformation is surprising, in part, because of the prior observation of the instability of CuCF(2)H.

A General Strategy for the Perfluoroalkylation of Arenes and Arylbromides by Using Arylboronate Esters and [(phen)CuRF]

A versatile method for the synthesis of aryl perfluoroalkanes from arenes and aryl bromides is described. Substituted arenes or aryl bromides are converted in situ to an aryl boronate ester that readily undergoes perfluoroalkylation in air with [(phen)CuR(F)]. A broad range of aryl bromide substrates were perfluoroalkylated in good yield for the first time. [(phen)CuCF(3)] is now commercially available and has been prepared on 20 g scale.

Copper-mediated fluorination of aryl iodides.

The synthesis of aryl fluorides has been studied intensively because of the importance of aryl fluorides in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. The stability, reactivity, and biological properties of aryl fluorides can be distinct from those of the corresponding arenes. Methods for the synthesis of aryl fluorides, however, are limited. We report the conversion of a diverse set of aryl iodides to the corresponding aryl fluorides. This reaction occurs with a cationic copper reagent and silver fluoride. Preliminary results suggest this reaction is enabled by a facile reductive elimination from a cationic arylcopper(III) fluoride.

Copper-Mediated Fluorination of Arylboronate Esters. Identification of a Copper(III) Fluoride Complex

A method for the direct conversion of arylboronate esters to aryl fluorides under mild conditions with readily available reagents is reported. Tandem reactions have also been developed for the fluorination of arenes and aryl bromides through arylboronate ester intermediates. Mechanistic studies suggest that this fluorination reaction occurs through facile oxidation of Cu(I) to Cu(III), followed by rate-limiting transmetalation of a bound arylboronate to Cu(III). Fast C-F reductive elimination is proposed to occur from an aryl-copper(III)-fluoride complex. Cu(III) intermediates have been generated independently and identified by NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS.

Selective C-H fluorination of pyridines and diazines inspired by a classic amination reaction.

Fluorinating Pyridine Appending fluorine substituents to carbon centers is commonly used to tune small-molecule properties in pharmaceutical and agrochemical research. However, fluorinations often require the use of corrosive, hazardous reagents. Fier and Hartwig (p. 956) present an unusually mild and convenient protocol for fluorinating carbon sites adjacent to nitrogen in pyridines and related nitrogen-bearing arenes. The reaction entails treatment with silver difluoride and proceeds rapidly at room temperature. A mild fluorination method could help produce compounds of interest in medicinal research. Fluorinated heterocycles are prevalent in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. However, reactions that incorporate fluorine into heteroarenes are limited in scope and can be hazardous. We present a broadly applicable and safe method for the site-selective fluorination of a single carbon-hydrogen bond in pyridines and diazines using commercially available silver(II) fluoride. The reactions occur at ambient temperature within 1 hour with exclusive selectivity for fluorination adjacent to nitrogen. The mild conditions allow access to fluorinated derivatives of medicinally important compounds, as well as a range of 2-substituted pyridines prepared by subsequent nucleophilic displacement of fluoride. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that the pathway of a classic pyridine amination can be adapted for selective fluorination of a broad range of nitrogen heterocycles.

Copper-Mediated Perfluoroalkylation of Heteroaryl Bromides with (phen)CuRF

The attachment of perfluoroalkyl groups onto organic compounds has been a major synthetic goal over the past several decades. Previously, our group reported phenanthroline-ligated perfluoroalkyl copper reagents, (phen)CuRF, which react with aryl iodides and aryl boronates to form the corresponding benzotrifluorides. Herein the perfluoroalkylation of a series of heteroaryl bromides with (phen)CuCF3 and (phen)CuCF2CF3 is reported. The mild reaction conditions allow the process to tolerate many common functional groups. Perfluoroethylation with (phen)CuCF2CF3 occurs in somewhat higher yields than trifluoromethylation with (phen)CuCF3, creating a method to generate fluoroalkyl heteroarenes that are less accessible from trifluoroacetic acid derivatives.

Synthesis of Difluoromethyl Ethers with Difluoromethyltriflate

Difluoromethyl ethers are found increasingly in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials.[1] Aryl difluoromethyl ethers are found in medicinally important compounds that include enzyme inhibitors,[2] anti-HIV agents[3] and atimicrobial agents.[4] Pantoprazole (Protonix®), a proton-pump inhibitor, is among the top 100 pharmaceuticals and contains a difluoromethyl ether.[5]

Synthesis and Late-Stage Functionalization of Complex Molecules through C–H Fluorination and Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution

We report the late-stage functionalization of multisubstituted pyridines and diazines at the position α to nitrogen. By this process, a series of functional groups and substituents bound to the ring through nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, or carbon are installed. This functionalization is accomplished by a combination of fluorination and nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the installed fluoride. A diverse array of functionalities can be installed because of the mild reaction conditions revealed for nucleophilic aromatic substitutions (SNAr) of the 2-fluoroheteroarenes. An evaluation of the rates for substitution versus the rates for competitive processes provides a framework for planning this functionalization sequence. This process is illustrated by the modification of a series of medicinally important compounds, as well as the increase in efficiency of synthesis of several existing pharmaceuticals.

Reagent Design and Ligand Evolution for the Development of a Mild Copper-Catalyzed Hydroxylation Reaction

Parallel synthesis and mass-directed purification of a modular ligand library, high-throughput experimentation, and rational ligand evolution have led to a novel copper catalyst for the synthesis of phenols with a traceless hydroxide surrogate. The mild reaction conditions reported here enable the late-stage synthesis of numerous complex, druglike phenols.

A Bifunctional Reagent Designed for the Mild, Nucleophilic Functionalization of Pyridines

Herein is reported the design and application of a reagent for the direct functionalization of pyridines. These reactions occur under mild conditions and exhibit broad functional group tolerance, enabling the late-stage functionalization of drug-like molecules. The reagent can be easily prepared on large scale from inexpensive reagents, and reacts in the title reaction with acetonitrile, sodium chloride, and sodium methanesulfonate as the sole byproducts. Although this Communication focuses primarily on reactions with cyanide as nucleophile, preliminary experiments with other nucleophiles foreshadow the broad reaching synthetic utility of this approach.