Please cite this article in press as: Jiang et al., Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Benzylic Radicals via Ring Opening of
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Article
Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed
Trifluoromethylation of Benzylic Radicals
via Ring Opening of Cyclopropanols
Chao Jiang,1 Lei Wang,1 Honggang Zhang,1 Pinhong Chen,1 Yin-Long Guo,1 and Guosheng Liu1,2,3,
SUMMARY
The Bigger Picture
The incorporation of
The asymmetric trifluoromethylation of aryl-substituted cyclopropa-
nols via a radical ring-opening pathway is reported herein, which
provides an easy and straightforward access to structurally diverse
b-CF3 ketones in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities un-
der very mild conditions. Critical to the success of the copper-cata-
lyzed radical relay is that a benzylic radical intermediate can be
enantioselectively trapped by reactive (L*)CuIICF3. In addition, a
novel quinolinyl-containing bisoxazoline ligand plays a significant
role in the asymmetric trifluoromethylation.
trifluoromethyl (CF3) groups into
biologically active molecules has a
significant effect on their physical
and biological properties, and
optically pure CF3-containing
organic molecules broadly exist in
pharmaceuticals and agricultural
chemicals. Thus, exploration of
efficient asymmetric
trifluoromethylation methods is
sought after. Recently, radical
trifluoromethylation coupling
emerged as one of most efficient
methods for the synthesis of CF3-
containing molecules, but
INTRODUCTION
The incorporation of trifluoromethyl (CF3) groups into biologically active molecules
has a significant effect on their physical and biological properties, such as lipophilic-
ity, metabolic stability, and bioavailability.1,2 Particularly, optically pure CF3-con-
taining organic compounds have been broadly utilized as pharmaceuticals and
agrochemicals.3 Therefore, considerable effort has been devoted to the develop-
ment of asymmetric trifluoromethylations during the last decade.4–7 Despite
advances, the asymmetric trifluoromethylation mainly relied on asymmetric nucleo-
philic and electrophilic trifluoromethylations, which are limited to the synthesis of
enantiomerically enriched CF3-substituted alcohols and ketones, respectively.8–10
In contrast, the asymmetric trifluoromethylation of carbon-centered radicals is
extremely difficult owing to highly reactive radical species. So far, there are no re-
ports of asymmetric radical trifluoromethylations to date.
asymmetric variants remain a
formidable challenge. In this
article, a copper-catalyzed
asymmetric trifluoromethylation
of cyclopropanols via a radical
relay process is disclosed using a
chiral ligand Bn-BoxQu. The
reaction enables the synthesis of
diverse, optically pure b-CF3
ketones efficiently, which can
serve as versatile building blocks
for the synthesis of an (R)–CF3-
modified analog of the drug
cinacalcet.
Distinct from the extensive studies on CF3 radical addition to alkenes,11–13 an alter-
native method for the trifluoromethylation of the carbon-centered radicals has
recently received much attention and serves as an attractive tool to introduce the
CF3 group into organic molecules. For instance, as shown in Scheme 1A, Li and
co-workers reported a series of Cu-mediated radical trifluoromethylation reactions
by using a stoichiometric amount of Cu(III) species [(Bpy)Cu(CF3)3].14,15 Copper-
mediated C–H bond trifluoromethylation reactions with the same (Bpy)Cu(CF3)3 re-
agent were also developed by the groups of Liu16 an Cook17 independently. Addi-
tionally, copper-catalyzed radical trifluoromethylation reactions were demonstrated
by using (L)Zn(CF3)2 (L = Bpy or DMPU) (1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyr-
imidinone) as effective nucleophilic CF3 reagents.18–20
As our ongoing research interest in asymmetric radical transformations (ATRs), we
have recently developed a copper-catalyzed radical relay strategy for the enantiose-
lective cyanation21–23 and arylation,24,25 where the benzylic radical was enantiose-
lectively trapped by (Box)Cu(CN)2 or (Box)Cu-Ar species.26–29 Inspired by the recent
Chem 6, 1–13, September 10, 2020 ª 2020 Elsevier Inc.
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