Synthesis of C2-Symmetric gem-Difluoromethylenated Angular Triquinanes.

A synthesis of symmetrical gem-difluoromethylenated angular triquinanes is described. The synthetic strategy involved sequential fluoride-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of PhSCF2SiMe3 (1) to 2,2-diallylated or 2,2-dipropargylated indane-1,3-diones 2 followed by stereoselective radical cyclization of the resulting adducts 3 to provide the cyclized gem-difluoromethylenated diquinanes 4 as a mixture of stereoisomers. Repeated addition of 1 to 4 followed by cyclization resulted in the stereoselective synthesis of the desired C2-symmetric gem-difluoromethylenated angular triquinanes 6 in good yields with high stereoselectivity.

Asymmetric synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated linear triquinanes via cascade gem-difluoroalkyl radical cyclization.

An asymmetric synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated linear triquinanes is described exploiting the synthetic utilities of PhSCF2TMS (5) as a "(•)CF2(-)'' building block. The strategy involves fluoride-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of PhSCF2TMS (5) to chiral ketocyclopentenes 6 to provide silylated adducts 9 or alcohol derivatives 10 and 11. Subsequent cascade radical cyclization of the gem-difluoroalkyl radical generated from silylated adducts 9 or alcohols 10 and 11 afforded gem-difluoromethylenated linear triquinanes 16 as an approximate 1:1 mixture of two diastereomers (16A and 16B). Alternatively, a convenient asymmetric synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated linear triquinanes 16A can be accomplished by oxidation of 16a (R = H) to provide ketotriquinane 17 followed by a highly stereoselective nucleophilic addition to 17 employing DIBAL, NaBH4, and various Grignard reagents.

Radical cyclization/ipso-1,4-aryl migration cascade: asymmetric synthesis of 3,3-difluoro-2-propanoylbicyclo[3.3.0]octanes.

A novel method for the asymmetric synthesis of 3,3-difluoro-2-propanoylbicyclo-[3.3.0]octanes involves an unprecedented intramolecular radical cyclization/ipso-1,4-aryl migration cascade.

Asymmetric synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated dihydroxypyrrolizidines and indolizidines.

An asymmetric synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated dihydroxypyrrolizidines and indolizidines is described. The fluoride-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of PhSCF(2)SiMe(3) (1) to chiral imides was achieved in satisfactory yields to provide mixtures of syn- and anti-isomers 6-9 with moderate to good diastereoselectivities. Reductive cleavage of the phenylsulfanyl group followed by intramolecular radical cyclization of the syn-isomers 6-9 occurred under refluxing conditions to afford the corresponding gem-difluoromethylenated 1-azabicyclic compounds 10-13 in moderate yields as a separable mixture of cis- and trans-isomers. The cis-isomers of compounds 10 and 12 and trans-13 were readily transformed to gem-difluoromethylenated dihydroxypyrrolizidines 20 and 27 and indolizidine 28, respectively, by reductive cleavage of the hydroxyl group and organometallic addition followed by hydrogenolysis.