A Chiral Pentafluorinated Isopropyl Group via Iodine(I)/(III) Catalysis

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.202015946

An I(I)/(III) catalysis strategy to construct an enantioenriched fluorinated isostere of the ⁱPr group is reported. The difluorination of readily accessible α-CF₃-styrenes is enabled by the in situ generation of a chiral ArIF₂ species to forge a stereocentre with the substituents F, CH₂F and CF₃ (up to 95 %, >20:1 vicinal:geminal difluorination). The replacement of the metabolically labile benzylic proton results in a highly preorganised scaffold as was determined by X-ray crystallography (π→σ* and stereoelectronic gauche σ→σ* interactions). A process of catalyst editing is disclosed in which preliminary validation of enantioselectivity is placed on a structural foundation.