Asymmetric carbon-fluoride bond

The importance of fluorinated organic componnds both in medicinal chemistry and biochemistry has resulted in much recent attention towards efficient carbon fluorine bond formation [30]. The reactions developed include a very successful electrophilic asymmetric mono-fluormation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds [31]. A nucleophilic variant was also investigated. In this context, the groups of Togni and Mezzetti have established that ruthenium Lewis acids could efficiently catalyze fluorination reactions [32]. In the presence of [Ru(l,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane)2Cl][PF6] (8) (10 mol%), fert-butyl iodide reacted at room temperature with TIF (1.1 equiv.) to yield fert-butyl fluoride (84% yield). This reaction was extended successfully to a range of organic halides (Entries 1-3, Scheme 10.19). The use of the chiral complex [Ru((lS,2S)-N,N bis[2-diphenylphos-phino)benzylidene]diaminocydohexane))Cl][PF6] (9) showed modest chiral induction at the outset of the reaction (Entry 4, Scheme 10.17). The near-racemic mixture obtained at completion points to an SNl-type process in this nucleophilic halide... 

Currently, it is fair to say that asymmetric synthesis using chiral quaternary ammonium fluorides remains an underdeveloped field, and the various useful stereoselective carbon-carbon bond-forming processes described in this chapter are only the start of an exploration of the vast synthetic potential of this process, particularly when combined with current knowledge of organosilicon chemistry. It seems that the key issue to be addressed is the rational molecular design of chiral quaternary ammonium cations with appropriate steric and electronic properties. These are expected to be readily tunable to impart not only a sufficient reactivity but also an ideal chiral environment to the requisite nucleophile involved in a desired chemical transformation. Clearly, the continuous accumulation of information related to the structure of fluoride salts and their reactivity and selectivity should create a solid basis for this field, offering - in time - a unique yet reliable tool for sophisticated bond construction events with rigorous stereocontrol, under mild conditions. 

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