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Radical cations generated from the oxidation of CC π-bonds are synthetically useful reactive intermediates for C–C and C–X bond formation. Radical cation formation, induced by sub-stoichiometric amounts of external oxidant, are important intermediates in the Woodward–Hoffmann thermally disallowed [2 + 2] cycloaddition of electron-rich alkenes. Using density functional theory (DFT), we report the detailed mechanisms underlying the intermolecular heterodimerisation of anethole and β-methylstyrene to give unsymmetrical, tetra-substituted cyclobutanes. Reactions between trans -alkenes favour the all-trans adduct, resulting from a kinetic preference for anti -addition reinforced by reversibility at ambient temperatures since this is also the thermodynamic product; on the other hand, reactions between a trans -alkene and a cis -alkene favour syn -addition, while exocyclic rotation in the acyclic radical cation intermediate is also possible since C–C forming barriers are higher. Computations are consistent with the experimental observation that hexafluoroisopropanol ( HFIP ) is a better solvent than acetonitrile, in part due to its ability to stabilise the reduced form of the hypervalent iodine initiator by hydrogen bonding, but also through the stabilisation of radical cationic intermediates along the reaction coordinate.
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Stereoselective Radical Acylfluoroalkylation of Bicyclobutanes via N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis
Abstract Cyclobutanes are prominent structural components in natural products and drug molecules. With the advent of strain‐release‐driven synthesis, ring‐opening reactions of bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes (BCBs) provide an attractive pathway to construct these three‐dimensional structures. However, the stereoselective difunctionalization of the central C−C σ‐bonds remains challenging. Reported herein is a covalent‐based organocatalytic strategy that exploits radical NHC catalysis to achieve diastereoselective acylfluoroalkylation of BCBs under mild conditions. The Breslow enolate acts as a single electron donor and provides an NHC‐bound ketyl radical with appropriate steric hindrance, which effectively distinguishes between the two faces of transient cyclobutyl radicals. This operationally simple method tolerates various fluoroalkyl reagents and common functional groups, providing a straightforward access to polysubstituted cyclobutanes (75 examples, up to >19 : 1 d.r.). The combined experimental and theoretical investigations of this organocatalytic system confirm the formation of the NHC‐derived radical and provide an understanding of how stereoselective radical‐radical coupling occurs.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2153972
- PAR ID:
- 10628047
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley VCH
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Volume:
- 64
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1433-7851
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202416781
