A Metal-Free Route to Heterocyclic Trifluoromethyl- and Fluoroalkylselenolated Molecules.

A metal-free methodology to easily synthesize various CFSe-containing heterocyclic compounds has been developed through intramolecular ring closures of alkynes promoted with CFSeCl. Moreover, this strategy has also been extended to other fluoroalkylselenyl groups.

Synthetic Approaches to Trifluoromethylselenolated Compounds.

The association of trifluoromethyl group to chalcogens gives new fluorinated substituents with specific properties, mainly in term of lipophilicity. The trifluoromethylselenyl group is the last of the series that has been studied and despite pioneering approaches in the late 1960s, CF Se chemistry has been scarcely developed over the last decades. Some modern and efficient methods to obtain trifluoromethylselenolated molecules have recently emerged.

Discovery of a Selective Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase (PI3K)-γ Inhibitor (IPI-549) as an Immuno-Oncology Clinical Candidate.

Optimization of isoquinolinone PI3K inhibitors led to the discovery of a potent inhibitor of PI3K-γ (26 or IPI-549) with >100-fold selectivity over other lipid and protein kinases. IPI-549 demonstrates favorable pharmacokinetic properties and robust inhibition of PI3K-γ mediated neutrophil migration in vivo and is currently in Phase 1 clinical evaluation in subjects with advanced solid tumors.

Benzyltrifluoromethyl (or Fluoroalkyl) Selenide: Reagent for Electrophilic Trifluoromethyl (or Fluoroalkyl) Selenolation.

Trifluoromethylseleno substituent (CF3Se) is an emerging group, but its direct introduction onto organic molecules is still quite limited and mainly restricted to nucleophilic methods. Herein, we describe a new approach to easily and safely perform electrophilic trifluoromethylselenolation starting from a simple and easily accessible reagent, namely, benzyltrifluoromethyl selenide. This strategy can be generalized to various fluoroalkylselanyl groups, even functionalized ones.

Copper-Catalyzed Perfluoroalkylthiolation of Alkynes with Perfluoroalkanesulfenamides.

Copper-catalyzed direct perfluoroalkylthiolation of alkynes by using the corresponding perfluoroalkanesulfenamide reagent is reported. The selective mono- and bis-perfluoroalkylthiolation of alkynes can be conducted under very mild conditions (no base, room temperature) in very good to excellent yields. This approach, which uses a low toxicity, inexpensive copper catalyst that incorporates a commercially available ligand, is applied in the absence of any additional base.

Mild and Soft Catalyzed Trifluoromethylthiolation of Boronic Acids: The Crucial Role of Water.

The most reactive 2nd generation of trifluoromethanesulfenamides undergoes a copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction with boronic acids to afford CF3 S-molecules. Contrary to the previous methods in the literature, no base addition, no heating, and no large excess of reagents are required to obtain good results. Furthermore, a crucial role of a small amount of water to favor this reaction has been demonstrated.

Rhodium(I)-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to (benzyl-/arylsulfonyl)acetonitriles: efficient synthesis of (Z)-β-sulfonylvinylamines and β-keto sulfones.

An efficient rhodium(I)-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to (benzyl-/arylsulfonyl)acetonitrile is described. Novel β-sulfonylvinylamine products are formed in a stereoselective fashion (Z-alkene). Upon hydrolysis, useful β-keto sulfones are obtained with a broad scope of aryl and sulfonyl substituents.