<p>Catalytic enantioconvergent nucleophilic substitution reactions of alkyl halides are highly valuable transformations, but they are notoriously difficult to implement. Specifically, nucleophilic fluorination is a renowned challenge, especially when inexpensive alkali metal fluorides are used as fluorinating reagents due to their low solubility, high hygroscopicity and Brønsted basicity. Here we report a solution by developing the concept of synergistic hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis. Key to our strategy is the combination of a chiral <i>bis</i>-urea hydrogen bond donor (HBD) and an onium salt—two phase-transfer catalysts essential for the solubilization of potassium fluoride—as a well-characterized ternary HBD–onium fluoride complex. Mechanistic investigations indicate that this chiral ternary complex is capable of enantiodiscrimination of racemic benzylic bromides and α-bromoketones, and upon fluoride delivery affords fluorinated products in high yields and enantioselectivities. This work provides a foundation for enantioconvergent fluorination chemistry enabled through the combination of a HBD catalyst with a co-catalyst specifically curated to meet the requirement of the electrophile.</p><p></p>

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Enantioconvergent nucleophilic substitution via synergistic phase-transfer catalysis

  • Claire Dooley,
  • Francesco Ibba,
  • Bence B. Botlik,
  • Chiara Palladino,
  • Christopher A. Goult,
  • Yuan Gao,
  • Andrew Lister,
  • Robert S. Paton,
  • Guy C. Lloyd-Jones,
  • Véronique Gouverneur

摘要

Catalytic enantioconvergent nucleophilic substitution reactions of alkyl halides are highly valuable transformations, but they are notoriously difficult to implement. Specifically, nucleophilic fluorination is a renowned challenge, especially when inexpensive alkali metal fluorides are used as fluorinating reagents due to their low solubility, high hygroscopicity and Brønsted basicity. Here we report a solution by developing the concept of synergistic hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis. Key to our strategy is the combination of a chiral bis-urea hydrogen bond donor (HBD) and an onium salt—two phase-transfer catalysts essential for the solubilization of potassium fluoride—as a well-characterized ternary HBD–onium fluoride complex. Mechanistic investigations indicate that this chiral ternary complex is capable of enantiodiscrimination of racemic benzylic bromides and α-bromoketones, and upon fluoride delivery affords fluorinated products in high yields and enantioselectivities. This work provides a foundation for enantioconvergent fluorination chemistry enabled through the combination of a HBD catalyst with a co-catalyst specifically curated to meet the requirement of the electrophile.