10.1002/anie.201802321
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
COMMUNICATION
Thermal Stability and Double C–F Bond Activation: Transition
metal and s-block complexes bearing partially fluorinated groups
are well known to decompose by β-fluoride elimination.17,44-47 But
while β-hydride elimination occurs in tri-iso-butylaluminium at high
temperatures,48 β-fluoride elimination is less well studied in
organoaluminium chemistry. The thermal stability of 2-5 in
benzene solution was probed to gauge the ease of fluoride
elimination. While 2-E, 2-Z, 4b and 5 were found to be stable at
high temperatures for prolonged periods of time (353 K; > 1
week), both 3 and 4a fragmented when heated to 353 K. The
organic fragments were identified as 1,1-difluoroallene (from 3)
and tetrafluoroallene (from 4a); both form alongside the expected
aluminium difluoride 1-F2 which has also been isolated and fully
characterized (Scheme 4).49-51
3D-shapes. We are currently investigating these compounds as
nucleophilic sources of {C3F5}–, {C3F3H2}– and {C3F2H3}– in
synthesis.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Royal Society for provision of a University
Research Fellowship (MRC) and to the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-
2015-248) and ERC (FluoroFix: 677367) for generous funding.
Bryan J. Ward is thanked for assistance with DFT calculations.
Keywords: Carbon–Fluorine Bond Activation • HFOs •
Aluminium • Fluoride Elimination • Fluoroolefins
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Scheme 4. (a) Thermal Stability of 3 and 4a, (b) Proposed mechanism of β-
fluoride elimination, and (c) double C–F activation of 1,1,1,3,3,3-
hexafluorobutene
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The net pathway from 1 is a double C–F activation of
fluoroalkenes leading to new fluorinated allenes. In the case of 3
and 4a the second C–F bond cleavage step is extremely slow. At
353 K 4a has a half-life of ~6 days. For comparison the first C–F
bond cleavage is fast, 4a forms from 1 and hexafluoropropene
within minutes at 298 K. A further reaction between 1 and 10
equiv. of 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336-mzz) did
not allow the isolation of a new organoaluminium compound but
instead led to the formation of s-trans isomer of 1,1,4,4-
tetrafluorobutadiene and 1-F2.52,53 While the unambiguous
assignment of this pathway will have to await a full mechanistic
study, it appears in this case the rate of the second C–F bond
cleavage step is either similar to or faster than the first, possibly
due to the ease of 1,3-diene formation over allene formation,
leading directly to the organic product.
In summary, we report the preparation of an array of
fluorinated organoaluminium compounds from reaction of
fluoroalkenes with an aluminium(I) complex. DFT calculations and
initial mechanistic experiments are consistent with C–F activation
occurring by either a direct oxidative addition step or formation of
a metallocyclopropane intermediate followed by either α- or β-
fluoride elimination. The new fluorinated organoaluminium
compounds each contain fragments with 3-carbon atoms but
have diverse fluorine content along with different connectivity and
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