Addition-elimination fluoroolefins

A fluormated enol ether formed by the reaction of sodium ethoxide with chlorotnfluoroethylene is much less reactive than the starting fluoroolefin To replace the second fluorine atom, it is necessary to reflux the reaction mixture. The nucleophilic substitution proceeds by the addition-elimination mechanism [30] (equation 26). 

Because of thetr electron deficient nature, fluoroolefms are often nucleophihcally attacked by alcohols and alkoxides Ethers are commonly produced by these addition and addition-elimination reactions The wide availability of alcohols and fliioroolefins has established the generality of the nucleophilic addition reactions The mechanism of the addition reaction is generally believed to proceed by attack at a vinylic carbon to produce an intermediate fluorocarbanion as the rate-determining slow step The intermediate carbanion may react with a proton source to yield the saturated addition product Alternatively, the intermediate carbanion may, by elimination of P-halogen, lead to an unsaturated ether, often an enol or vinylic ether These addition and addition-elimination reactions have been previously reviewed [1, 2] The intermediate carbanions resulting from nucleophilic attack on fluoroolefins have also been trapped in situ with carbon dioxide, carbonates, and esters of fluorinated acids [3, 4, 5] (equations 1 and 2)... 

The addition of nucleophiles to cyclic fluoroolefins has been reviewed by Park et al. [2 ]. The reaction with alcohols proceeds by addition-elimination to yield the cyclic vinylic ether, as illustrated by tlie reaction of l,2-dichloro-3,3-di-fluorocyclopropene Further reaction results in cyclopropane ring opening at the bond opposite the difluoromethylene carbon to give preferentially the methyl and ortho esters of (Z)-3-chloro-2-fluoroacrylic acid and a small amount of dimethyl malonate [29] (equation 8). 

Fluoride ion produced from the nucleophilic addition-elimination reactions of fluoroolefins can cataly7e isomerizations and rearrangements The reaction of per fluoro-3-methyl-l-butene with dimethylamine gives as products 1-/V,/Vdimeth-ylamino-1,1,2,2,4,4,4-heptafluoro-3-trifluoromethylbutane, N,W-dimetliyl-2,2,4,4,4-pentafluoro 3 trifluoromethylbutyramide, and approximately 3% of an unidentified olefin [10] The butylamide results from hydrolysis of the observed tertiary amine, and thus they share a common intermediate, l-Al,A -dimethylamino-l,l 24 44-hexafluoro-3-trifluoromethyl-2-butene, the product from the initial addition-elimination reaction (equation 4) The expected product from simple addition was not found... 

Addition-elimination reaction from fluoroolefins (vinylic pseudo-substitution)... 

The reactivity and orientation of nucleophilic attack on fluoroolefins are determined by the stability of the possible carbamon intermediates Fluoroolefins react regioselectively with nucleophiles so as to maximize the number of fluorines (3 to the electron-rich carbon in the transition state The reactivities increase in the order CF2=CF2 < CF2=CFCF3 CF2=C(CF3)2 and CF2=CF2 < CF2=CFC1 < CF2=CFBr, and nucleophdes attack exclusively at the CF2= end of these olefins [129,141] The regiochemistry of nucleophilic attack normally is predictable, but the product distribution arising from addition and addition-elimination pathways depends upon the olefin, nucleophile, and reaction conditions (equations 13-15) The various factors that control product distributions have been reviewed [142,143 144]... 

An alternate route to fluoroolefins relies upon the ease of reduction of difluoroolefins(18). Reduction of 114 with sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride (Scheme 35) afforded the fluoroolefins 115 and 116 considerably enriched with the (E)-isomer 116. In a complementary reaction, reduction of the allylic alcohol 117 with LiAlH4 afforded selectively the (Z)-isomer 118. The difluoromethacrylic acid (121) was prepared in similar manner from 120 (Scheme 36) (53 for related examples see references 75 and 76). Under more forcing conditions, further reduction afforded 3-fluoromethacrylic acid 122. Of more general use is the reaction of 120 with Grignard reagents whereupon the 1,4-addition elimination mechanism offers an entry into a-difluoromethylene substituted aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids 123. Ester enolates (125) have been shown to add to trifluoropropene (124) forming the difluoroolefins (126) (Scheme 37) (54). 

With cyclic fluoroolefins the products seem to arise by addition of the arsenic hydride followed by elimination of hydrogen halide 194,195). 

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