Pseudotetrahedral polyhaloadamantanes as chirality probes: synthesis, separation, and absolute configuration.

Pseudotetrahedral, conformationally as well as configurationally stable 1-bromo-3-chloro-5-fluoro- (4) and 1-bromo-3-chloro-5-fluoro-7-iodoadamantane (5) (and some related compounds) were prepared by our recently devised phase-transfer catalytic halogenation protocol; the optical antipodes of 4 were separated by HPLC on chiral phase in ee > 99%, and the absolute configurations were assigned by matching observed and computed circular dichroism spectra. Structure 5 is the first chiral aliphatic hydrocarbon containing all stable (nonradioactive) halogens; its structure was proven by NMR spectroscopy and by X-ray crystal data. We emphasize that the combination of experiment and theory is very powerful in assigning absolute configurations even for molecules without typical chromophors, with small values for the optical rotation, and without an atom at the stereogenic center.

Selective radical reactions in multiphase systems: phase-transfer halogenations of alkanes.

The present paper shows that selective radical reactions can be initiated and carried out in multiphase systems. This concept is applied to the selective functionalization of unactivated aliphatic hydrocarbons, which may be linear, branched, and (poly)cyclic, strained as well as unstrained. The phase-transfer system avoids overfunctionalization of the products and simplifies the workup; the selectivities are excellent and the yields are good.

Halogenation of cubane under phase-transfer conditions: single and double C-H-bond substitution with conservation of the cage structure.

The first highly selective C-H chlorination, bromination, and iodination of cubane (1) utilizing polyhalomethanes as halogen sources under phase-transfer (PT) conditions is described. Isomeric dihalocubanes with all possible combinations of chlorine, bromine, and iodine in ortho, meta, and para positions were also prepared by this method; m-dihalo products form preferentially. Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) computations were used to rationalize the pronounced differences in the reactions of 1 with halogen (Hal(*)) vs carbon-centered trihalomethyl (Hal(3)C(*)) radicals (Hal = Cl, Br).

Kinetic isotope effects for the C-H activation step in phase-transfer halogenations of alkanes.

Within the scope of phase-transfer halogenations (Br and I) of alkanes, significant H/D kinetic isotope effects (KIE = 4-5) indicate that hydrogen abstraction is rate limiting. The excellent agreement of computed and experimentally determined H/D KIE as well as trapping experiments support the involvement of trihalomethyl radicals in the activation step.

The First Efficient Iodination of Unactivated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons.

No heavy metals, no enzymes, and a simple protocol: the direct iodination of aliphatic hydrocarbons, which has not been possible to date, can now be carried out in multiphase systems [see for example Eq. (1)]. In situ generated tetraiodomethane serves as a key intermediate in this selective radical chain reaction initiated by a single electron transfer.