Metal‐Free C?H Bond Activation of Branched Aldehydes with a Hypervalent Iodine(III) Catalyst under Visible‐Light Photolysis: Successful Trapping with Electron‐Deficient Olefins

Direct acyl radical formation of linear aldehydes (RCH₂‐CHO) and subsequent hydroacylation with electron‐deficient olefins can be effected with various types of metal and nonmetal catalysts/reagents. In marked contrast, however, no successful reports on the use of branched aldehydes have been made thus far because of their strong tendency of generating alkyl radicals through the facile decarbonylation of acyl radicals. Here, use of a hypervalent iodine(III) catalyst under visible light photolysis allows a mild way of generating acyl radicals from various branched aldehydes, thereby giving the corresponding hydroacylated products almost exclusively. Another characteristic feature of this approach is the catalytic use of hypervalent iodine(III) reagent, which is a rare example on the generation of radicals in hypervalent iodine chemistry.     

Fluorinative Rearrangements of Substituted Phenylallenes Mediated by (Difluoroiodo)toluene: Synthesis of α‐(Difluoromethyl)styrenes

Phenylallenes undergo fluorinative rearrangement upon the action of (difluoroiodo)toluene in the presence of 20 mol % BF₃⋅OEt₂ to yield α‐difluoromethyl styrenes. This unprecedented reaction was entirely chemoselective for the internal allene π bond, and showed remarkable regioselectivity during the fluorination event. Substituted phenylallenes, phenylallenes possessing both phenyl‐ and α‐allenyl substituents, and diphenylallenes were investigated, and good functional‐group compatibility was observed throughout. The ease with which allenes can be prepared on a large scale, and the operational simplicity of this reaction allowed us to rapidly access fluorine‐containing building blocks that have not been accessed by conventional deoxyfluorination strategies.     

Dearomatization of Electron‐Deficient Phenols to ortho‐Quinones: Bidentate Nitrogen‐Ligated Iodine(V) Reagents

Despite their broad utility, the synthesis of ortho‐quinones remains a significant challenge, in particular, access to electron‐deficient derivatives remains an unsolved problem. Reported here is the first general method for the synthesis of electron‐deficient ortho‐quinones by direct oxidation of phenols. The reaction is enabled by a novel bidentate nitrogen‐ligated iodine(V) reagent, a previously unexplored class of compounds which we have termed Bi(N)‐HVIs. The reaction is extremely general and proceeds with excellent regioselectivity for the ortho over para isomer. Functionalization of the ortho‐quinone products was examined, resulting in a facile one‐pot synthesis of catechols, as well as the incorporation of a variety of heteroatom nucleophiles. This method represents the first synthetic application of Bi(N)‐HVIs and demonstrates their potential as a platform for the further development of highly reactive, but also highly tunable, I(V) reagents.     

Selective Radical Fluorination of Tertiary Alkyl Halides at Room Temperature

Direct fluorination of tertiary alkyl bromides and iodides with Selectfluor is described. The halogen‐exchange fluorination proceeds efficiently in acetonitrile at room temperature under metal‐free conditions and exhibits a wide range of functional group compatibility. Furthermore, the reactions are highly selective in that alkyl chlorides and primary and secondary alkyl bromides remain intact. A radical mechanism is proposed for this selective fluorination.     

Hypervalent Iodine(III)‐Catalyzed Balz–Schiemann Fluorination under Mild Conditions

An unprecedented hypervalent iodine(III) catalyzed Balz–Schiemann reaction is described. In the presence of a hypervalent iodine compound, the fluorination reaction proceeds under mild conditions (25–60 °C), and features a wide substrate scope and good functional‐group compatibility.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cadiot–Chodkiewicz‐type Cross‐Coupling of Terminal Alkynes with Alkynyl Hypervalent Iodine Reagents: Highly Selective Synthesis of Unsymmetrical 1,3‐Diynes

A new and efficient method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,3‐butadiynes by gold‐catalyzed C(sp)–C(sp) cross‐coupling of terminal alkynes with alkynyl hypervalent iodine(III) reagents has been developed. The reaction features high selectivity and efficiency, mild reaction conditions, wide substrate scope, and functional‐group compatibility, and is a highly attractive complement to existing methods. Mechanistic studies reveal that formation of a phenanthrolinyl‐ligated gold(I) complex is crucial for the efficiency and selectivity of the target transformation.     

Synthesis of Hypervalent Iodine(III) Reagents Containing a Transferable (Diarylmethylene)amino Group and Their Use in the Oxidative Amination of Silyl Ketene Acetals

The preparation of some hypervalent iodine reagents containing a transferable amino group derived from benzophenone imine derivatives is reported. The reagents can be readily prepared and stored as a bench‐stable solid, and were successfully used in the transition‐metal‐free oxidative amination of silyl ketene acetals to afford the corresponding α‐amino esters, the benzophenone imine moieties of which could be easily hydrolyzed, thereby leading to the formation of primary amines.     

Hypervalent Iodine(III) Mediated Synthesis of 2‐Substituted‐5‐Aryloxazoles

A direct and efficient method for the preparation of 2‐substituted‐5‐aryloxazoles was realized by reaction of aryl methyl ketones with various nitriles in the presence of phenyliodine(III) triflate.