Reactions of TFDA with ketones. synthesis of difluoromethyl 2,2-difluorocyclopropyl ethers

The sequential reaction of 2 equiv of difluorocarbene (generated from trimethylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate (TFDA) by treatment with catalytic fluoride ion) with a series of electron-rich aromatic ketones and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones leads to the formation of difluoromethyl 2,2-difluorocyclopropyl ethers in good yield.     

A new synthesis of 2-fluoro-1-naphthols

A general synthesis of 2-fluoro-1-naphthols in two steps from 1-indanones is reported. The 1-indanones are first converted to difluoromethyl 2-fluoro-1-napthyl ethers by reaction with difluorocarbene source, trimethylsilyl 2-fluorosulfonyl-2,2-difluoroacetate (TFDA). These ethers are then converted in high yield to the respective naphthols by heating with a mixture of acetic acid and 48% HBr.     

Reactions of trimethylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate with purine and pyrimidine nucleosides

Difluorocarbene, generated from trimethylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate (TFDA), reacts with the uridine and adenosine substrates preferentially at the enolizable amide moiety of the uracil ring and the 6-amino group of the purine ring. 2′,3′-Di-O-benzoyl-3′-deoxy-3′-methyleneuridine reacts with TFDA to produce 4-O-difluoromethyl product derived from an insertion of difluorocarbene into the 4-hydroxyl group of the enolizable uracil ring. Reaction of the difluorocarbene with the adenosine substrates having the unprotected 6-amino group in the purine ring produced the 6-N-difluoromethyl derivative, while reaction with 6-N-benzoyl protected adenosine analogues gave the difluoromethyl ether product derived from the insertion of difluorocarbene into the enol form of the 6-benzamido group. Treatment of the 6-N-phthaloyl protected adenosine analogues with TFDA resulted in the unexpected one-pot conversion of the imidazole ring of the purine into the corresponding N-difluoromethylthiourea derivatives. Treatment of the suitably protected pyrimidine and purine nucleosides bearing an exomethylene group at carbons 2′, 3′ or 4′ of the sugar rings with TFDA afforded the corresponding spirodifluorocyclopropyl analogues but in low yields.     

Difluorocarbene-Induced Ring-Opening Difluoromethylation-Halogenation of Cyclic (Thio)Ethers with TMSCF2X (X=Br,Cl)**

The ring-opening difluoromethylation-halogenation of cyclic (thio)ethers is reported through a simple strategy relying on carbon-chalcogen bond activation with difluorocarbene. The reaction proceeds through in situ protonation of the previously little-known difluoromethylene oxonium or sulfonium ylide intermediate followed by ring-opening with halide ion to afford halogenated acyclic difluoromethyl (thio)ethers that can then be employed for further elaboration. TMSCF₂X (X=Br, Cl) are unique reagents to achieve this synthetic purpose, which serve as both the difluorocarbene source and the halide ion source.     

Efficient Difluoromethylation of Alcohols Using TMSCF2Br as a Unique and Practical Difluorocarbene Reagent under Mild Conditions

A general method for the efficient difluoromethylation of alcohols using commercially available TMSCF₂Br (TMS=trimethylsilyl) as a unique and practical difluorocarbene source is developed. This method allows primary, secondary, and even tertiary alkyl difluoromethyl ethers to be synthesized under weakly basic or acidic conditions. The reaction mainly proceeds through the direct interaction between a neutral alcohol and difluorocarbene, which is different from the difluoromethylation of phenols. Moreover, alcohols containing other moieties that are also reactive toward difluorocarbene can be transformed divergently by using TMSCF₂Br. This research not only solves the synthetic problem of difluorocarbene‐mediated difluoromethylation of alcohols, it also provides new insights into the different reaction mechanisms of alcohol difluoromethylation and phenol difluoromethylation with difluorocarbene species.     

Selective O-difluoromethylation of 1,3-diones using S-(difluoromethyl) sulfonium salt

A facile and highly efficient approach for selective O-difluoromethylation of 1,3-diones with S-(difluoromethyl)sulfonium salt was developed, and a wide variety of difluoromethyl enol ethers were readily synthesized.     

A novel and highly efficient synthesis of gem-difluorocyclopropanes

[reaction: see text] A new and highly versatile source of difluorocarbene is reported. Trimethylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate (TFDA) undergoes decomposition in the presence of catalytic fluoride to form difluorocarbene under conditions that allow its addition to relatively electron deficient alkenes in high yield. For example, unprecedented CF2: addition to n-butyl acrylate proceeded in 73% yield.     

Diethyl bromodifluoromethylphosphonate: a highly efficient and environmentally benign difluorocarbene precursor

A convenient method for the difluoromethylation of phenols and thiophenols, using diethyl bromodifluoromethylphosphonate (1) as a difluorocarbene precursor, is described. This commercially available phosphonate was found to undergo an extremely facile P-C bond cleavage on basic hydrolysis (−78 °C to rt), presumably leading to the bromodifluoromethyl anion, which subsequently converts to a difluorocarbene intermediate. The latter is trapped by phenolates 2 or thiophenolates 3 to give the corresponding difluoromethyl ethers and thioethers in good to excellent yield. The resulting eco-friendly side product, diethyl phosphate ion, is easily separated from the reaction mixture due to its excellent solubility in water. Due to the mild conditions applied to this reaction, phenolate ions bearing carbonyl or enolate functions are selectively difluoromethylated.     

Trimethylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetate (TFDA): a new, highly efficient difluorocarbene reagent

TFDA is readily prepared from the reaction of fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetic acid with trimethylsilyl chloride, and it is a very effective and efficient source of difluorocarbene for use in addition reactions to alkenes of a broad scope of reactivities. Acid-sensitive substrates may require an additional purification step involving treatment of the distilled TFDA with sufficient Et₃N to remove the acid impurity. Other trialkylsilyl fluorosulfonyldifluoroacetates can also be prepared, and they have been found to have reactivities similar to TFDA. The triethyl derivative, TEFDA is more convenient to prepare in a pure state and has similar reactivity to TFDA. Thus, it may prove to be a superior reagent.     

2-Chloro-2,2-difluoroacetophenone: a non-ODS-based difluorocarbene precursor and its use in the difluoromethylation of phenol derivatives

A novel and non-ODS-based (ODS = ozone-depleting substance) preparation of 2-chloro-2,2-difluoroacetophenone (1) was achieved in high yield by using 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone as the starting material. Compound 1 was found to act as a good difluorocarbene reagent, which readily reacts with a variety of structurally diverse phenol derivatives 4 in the presence of potassium hydroxide or potassium carbonate to produce aryl difluoromethyl ethers 5 in good yields. This new and easy-to-handle synthetic methodology offers an environmentally friendly alternative to other Freon- or Halon-based difluoromethylating approaches.     

Methyl 2,2-difluoro-2-(fluorosulfonyl)acetate, a difluorocarbene reagent with reactivity comparable to that of trimethylsilyl 2,2-difluoro-2-(fluorosulfonyl)acetate (TFDA)

Under specific high concentration, high temperature conditions, methyl 2,2-difluoro-2-(fluorosulfonyl)acetate (MDFA) has been found to act as a very efficient source of difluorocarbene, exhibiting carbene reactivity characteristics comparable to those exhibited by trimethylsilyl 2,2-difluoro-2-(fluorosulfonyl)acetate (TFDA). For example, in reaction with highly unreactive n-butyl acrylate and using only 2 equiv of MDFA, a yield of 76% of difluorocyclopropane product was obtained after 2 days.     

Perfluoro and polyfluorosulfonic acids: XVI. Difluoromethanesulfonic acids as a precursor of CF2: In the synthesis of difluoromethyl poly- and perfluoroalkanesulfonates

Difluoromethanesulfonic acid (1) readily reacts with P₂O₅ at room temperature to give difluoromethyl difluoromethanesulfonate (2) and SO₂ in stead of the expected acid anhydride. If perfluorosulfonic acid (3) perfluorocarboxylic acid (5) or KI was added to this reaction mixture, difluoromethyl perfluorosulfonate (4), difluoromethyl perfluorocarboxylate (6) and HCF₂I (7) was formed respectively in addition to 2. A similar result was obtained using POCl₃ or SOCl₂ instead of P₂O₅ as dehydrating agent. The mechanisms of the formation of difluorocarbene were discussed.     

Electrochemical fluorination of chlorine-containing ethers

The electrochemical fluorination of chlorine-containing ethers has been studied. In general, it was found that a chlorine bonded to an a-carbon atom in the ethers was readily removed during electrochemical reaction in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, whilst a chlorine bonded to the β-carbon atom was retained to yield β-chlorinated polyfluoroethers.Through the use of this method, several new chloropolyfluoroethers, e.g. 2-chloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether, 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl trifluoromethyl ether 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether, 2,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl chlorodifluoromethyl ether, 2-chloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl chlorodifluoromethyl ether and 2,2-trichloro-1,1-difluoroethyl trifluoromethyl ether, have isolated and characterized.     

Decarboxylative Trifluoromethylating Reagent [Cu(O2CCF3)(phen)] and Difluorocarbene Precursor [Cu(phen)2][O2CCF2Cl]

This article describes the new economic decarboxylative trifluoromethylating reagent [Cu(phen)(O₂CCF₃)] ( 1 ; phen=1,10‐phenanthroline) and the efficient difluorocarbene precursor [Cu(phen)₂][O₂CCF₂Cl] ( 2 ). Treatment of copper tert‐butoxide with phen and subsequent addition of trifluoroacetic acid or chlorodifluoroacetic acid afforded air‐stable complexes 1 and 2 , respectively, which were characterized by X‐ray crystallography. The copper(I) ion in 1 is coordinated by a bidentate phen ligand, a monodentate trifluoroacetate group, and a molecule of CH₃CN in a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry. The molecular structure of 2 adopts an ionic form that consists of a [Cu(phen)₂]⁺ cation and a chlorodifluoroacetate anion. Complex 1 reacted with a variety of aryl and heteroaryl halides to form trifluoromethyl (hetero)arenes in good yields. The corresponding Hammett plot exhibited a linear relationship and a reaction parameter (ρ)=+0.56±0.02, which indicated that the trifluoromethylation reaction proceeded via a nucleophilic reactive species. Complex 2 reacts with phenols to produce aryl difluoromethyl ethers in modest‐to‐excellent yields. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the difluoromethylation reaction proceeds by initial copper‐mediated formation of difluorocarbene and subsequent concerted addition of difluorocarbene to the phenol to form a three‐center transition state.     

Synthesis of fluoromethyl,difluoromethyl and trifluoromethyl analogues of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl as herbicides

Ethyl 1-fluoromethyl-5-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-ylcarbamoylsulfamoyl)pyrazole-4-carboxylate 1b , a new fluoromethyl analogue of the herbicide pyrazosulfuron-ethyl la, was prepared from ethyl 1-fluoromethylpyrazole-4-carboxylate 4b . The difluoromethyl and trifluoromethyl analogues 1c,d were also synthesized from ethyl pyrazole-4-carboxylate 2 via difluorocarbene reaction.     

Fluorodecarboxylation for the Synthesis of Trifluoromethyl Aryl Ethers

The synthesis of mono‐, di‐, and trifluoromethyl aryl ethers by fluorodecarboxylation of the corresponding carboxylic acids is reported. AgF₂ induces decarboxylation of aryloxydifluoroacetic acids, and AgF, either generated in situ or added separately, serves as a source of fluorine to generate the fluorodecarboxylation products. The addition of 2,6‐difluoropyridine increased the reactivity of AgF₂, thereby increasing the range of functional groups and electronic properties of the aryl groups that are tolerated. The reaction conditions used for the formation of trifluoromethyl aryl ethers also served to form difluoromethyl and monofluoromethyl aryl ethers.     

Isomerization and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of gem-difluorinated NH-azomethine ylides in the reaction of difluorocarbene with diarylmethanimines

Reaction of difluorocarbene with diarylmethanimines leads to the formation of gem-difluorinated NH-azomethine ylides, two types of competing transformations of which are found to be characteristic: a formal 1,2-H shift into N-(difluoromethyl)imines and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to electron-deficient multiple bonds. α,α,α-Trifluoroaceto-phenones are efficient dipolar traps for difluoro NH-ylides, the addition of which to the dipole proceeds regioselectively with the formation of 4-fluoro-2,5-dihydrooxazoles. According to the quantum-chemical calculations by the DFT B3LYP/6-31G* method, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of difluorinated NH-azomethine ylides to a C=O bond with the formation of 4-fluoro derivatives of oxazole has lower barrier of activation than the reaction, leading to another regioisomer; the formal 1,2-H shift in the ylide occurs intermolecularly with participation of an imine, a precursor of the ylide.     

Difluoromethylation of 2-Hydroxychalcones Using Sodium 2-Chloro-2,2-difluoroacetate as Difluoromethylating Agent

Difluoromethylation of 2-hydroxychalcones using sodium 2-chloro-2,2-difluoroacetate as the difluoro-methylating agent was developed. Under facile conditions, a wide range of aryl difluoromethyl ethers were obtained in yields of 36%-80%. It is noteworthy that the new addition products, 2,2-difluoro-2H-benzofuran derivatives, were also synthesized in the reactions. The yield of 2,2-difluoro-2H-benzofuran derivative could be up to 35% when 3-methyl-2-hydroxychalcone was used as the reactant. A plausible reaction mechanism was proposed.     

A general route for constructing difluoromethyl ethers

Chlorodifluoromethyl ethers are easily obtained from the corresponding alcohols. These ethers, when treated with tributyltin hydride, produce difluoromethyl ethers in high yields.     

Synthesis of Tri‐ and Difluoromethoxylated Compounds by Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis

Trifluoromethoxy (OCF₃) and difluoromethoxy (OCF₂H) groups are fluorinated structural motifs that exhibit unique physicochemical characteristics. Incorporation of these substituents into organic molecules is a highly desirable approach used in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery processes to alter the properties of a parent compound. Recently, tri‐ and difluoromethyl ethers have received increasing attention and several innovative strategies to access these valuable functional groups have been developed. The focus of this Minireview is the use of visible‐light photoredox catalysis in the synthesis of tri‐ and difluoromethyl ethers. Recent photocatalytic strategies for the formation of O?CF₃, C?OCF_3, O?CF₂H, and C?OCF₂H bonds as well as other transformations leading to the construction of OR_F groups are discussed herein.