Bromine fluoride reaction with alkenes

Boron trifluoride and boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex can be used as a source of fluoride ions in the presence of hypobromites and hypochlorites, e.g. methyl hypobromitc, tert-butyl hypobromite, methyl hypochlorite in carbon tetrachloride at 25 C. The addition of bromine monofluoride" and chlorine monofluoride" to various alkenes is accompanied by the formation of the corresponding alkoxybromides and alkoxychlorides which hinder the isolation of the halofluorinated products.57 jV-Bromo- and A -chloro-substiluted alkyl- and arylamines. -amides, and -imides, A -chloro-A,-methylamine, A -bromo-A -methylamine, A -chloro-A, /V-dimethylamine, A-bromo-A.A-dimethylamine, ACV-dichloro-A -methylamine, V,fV-dibromo-,V-mcthylaminc, A -bromosuccinimide, -V-chlorosuccinimide, Af-bromoacct-amide, A.A -dichlorourethane, can be used in the reaction instead of the hypohalites. The reactions with various alkenes conducted in dichloromethane at room temperature in the presence of boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex produce bromofluoro and chlorofluoro addition products in 40-80 % yield. However, the reactions are complicated by the addition of A -halo-succinimides and Af.A-dichlorourcthane to the C = C bonds.58... 

Fluorine can also be added to alkenes by reaction with a solution of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride in pyridine (Olah s reagent) containing either Af-brotno- or A -iodosuccinimide, or iodine or bromine and silver nitrate. The final addition of silver fluoride to the reaetion mixture leads to the formation of vicinal difluorides 19,23.153... 

The addition of bromine fluoride to cyclohexene occurs highly stereospecifically to yield the fran.v-adduct. Further examples of the bromofluorination of cyclic alkenes with various reagents are reported in Table 21, and also given by the reactions of norbornene (2), 70,21 5 228 benzo-norbomene (4).2 2 8 and norbornadiene (5).112-215... 

Bromo [ F]fluoride (Section 3.9.1) addition across a double bond was used in the synthesis of fluorine-18-labelled steroids of high specific radioactivity. After addition, the bromine is removed by reduction or by dehydrobromination. [ F]Fluoro-5a-dihydrotestosterone was obtained in about 3% radiochemical yield (Scheme 17) [64] and 6a-p F]fluoroprogesterone in only 0.3% [65]. The yields were quite low but sufficient to allow for animal studies. These reactions had been tested out successfully with simpler model alkenes [66]. 

We may seem to have contradicted ourselves because Equation 10-1 shows a carbocation to be formed in bromine addition, but Equation 10-5 suggests a bromonium ion. Actually, the formulation of intermediates in alkene addition reactions as open ions or as cyclic ions is a controversial matter, even after many years of study. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the structure of the intermediate ions by any direct physical method because, under the conditions of the reaction, the ions are so reactive that they form products more rapidly than they can be observed. However, it is possible to generate stable bromonium ions, as well as the corresponding chloronium and iodonium ions. The technique is to use low temperatures in the absence of any strong nucleophiles and to start with a 1,2-dihaloalkane and antimony penta-fluoride in liquid sulfur dioxide ... 

Alkyl bromides and iodides are converted into the corresponding fluorides in good yield with mercury(I) fluoride.31 36 Fluorinations of polyhalides are complicated by elimination reactions which give a mixture of alkenes and fluorination products. The fluorinating ability ofmercury(l) fluoride can be increased by the addition of bromine or iodine which results in the formation of mercury(II) fluorohalide.37 38 An example of the reaction of mercury(I) fluoride with simple perfluoroalkyl iodides is the formation of 2//.2//-octafluorobutane (12).39... 

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