Oxidative Difluoromethylation of Tetrahydroisoquinolines Using TMSCF2SPh: Synthesis of Fluorinated Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and Benzo[a]quinolizidines.

An efficient C1-difluoromethylation of tetrahydroisoquinolenes was achieved using TMSCF2SPh as a difluoromethylating agent and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxoammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEMPO+BF4-) as an oxidant. The process provides an access to a variety of C1-difluoro(phenylsulfanyl)methylated tetrahydroisoquinoline adducts in good yields. These adducts were employed as key precursors for preparing fluorinated pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline and benzo[a]quinolizidines.

Stereoselective Synthesis of 1-Fluoro-exo,exo-2,6-diaryl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes: Synthesis of (±)-1-Fluoromembrine.

Stereoselective synthesis of 1-fluoro-exo,exo-2,6-diaryl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes is described. The synthetic strategy involves stereoselective fluorination of 3,4-trans-4,5-cis-3-aroyl-5-arylparaconic esters using Selectfluor to afford the corresponding fluorinated paraconic esters in good yields as a single isomer, which are subjected to reduction employing LiAlH4 or DIBALH followed by furofuran formation under acidic or Lewis acid conditions to afford a series of 1-fluoro-exo,exo-furofurans in moderate yields. The synthetic protocol also provides an access to (±)-1-fluoromembrine.

Fluoride-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of PhSCF2SiMe3 to anhydrides: synthesis of γ-difluoromethylated γ-lactams.

PhSCF2SiMe3 () underwent fluoride-catalyzed nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group of anhydrides to provide the corresponding γ-difluoro(phenylsulfanyl)methyl γ-lactols, which were employed for the synthesis of γ-difluoromethylated γ-lactams.

Synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated bicyclo[m.n.0]alkan-1-ols and their ring-expansion to gem-difluoromethylenated macrocyclic lactones.

Fluoride-catalyzed stereoselective nucleophilic addition of PhSCF(2)SiMe(3) (1) to α-carboethoxycycloalkanones 2 followed by intramolecular radical cyclization of the resulting cis-3 adduct afforded the corresponding gem-difluoromethylenated bicyclic compounds 4, which underwent ring-expansion followed by the Baeyer-Villiger-type oxidation of the resulting macrocyclic ketone intermediates to give gem-difluoromethylenated macrocyclic lactones 5.