Optical purifications via self-disproportionation of enantiomers by achiral chromatography: case study of a series of α-CF3-containing secondary alcohols.

This work demonstrates that self-disproportionation of enantiomers via achiral chromatography can be recommended as inexpensive and general method for optical purification of enantiomerically enriched compounds. In particular, the advantage of this approach over conventional recrystallization is that it can be used for both crystalline as well as liquid compounds.

Synthesis of 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)benzene derivatives from 1,2-dichlorobenzenes using a hybrid metal Mg/CuCl in the presence of LiCl in 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone.

A practical and safe synthesis of 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)benzene from 1,2-dichlorobenzene and Me3SiCl was achieved by use of a hybrid metal of Mg and CuCl in the presence of LiCl in 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI). This method does not require a toxic HMPA, provides a high yield of the product under mild conditions, and is also applied to synthesis of substituted 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)benzenes and poly(trimethylsilyl)benzenes.

Unconventional preparation of racemic crystals of isopropyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoate and their unusual crystallographic structure: the ultimate preference for homochiral intermolecular interactions.

This work reports the first example of the transformation of conglomerate (R)- and (S)-crystals into racemic crystals via sublimation. Crystallographic analysis of racemic isopropyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoate did not reveal the highly expected heterochiral dimer indicating that this compound is capable of forming exclusively homochiral oligomers via infinite multi-centred H-bonding networks.

Hydrogen gas storage in fluorinated ultramicroporous tunnel crystal.

We report hydrogen storage at an ordinary pressure due to a bottle-neck effect of an ultramicroporous crystal. Stored hydrogen was kept at an ordinary pressure below -110 °C. The amounts of stored hydrogen gas linearly correlated with the initial pressures.

A molecular-sized tunnel-porous crystal with a ratchet gear structure and its one-way guest-molecule transportation property.

An anisotropic tunnel microporous crystal was prepared. Active transportation of anthracene as a guest molecule in the anisotropic tunnels was observed. The direction of anthracene movement implies that the anisotropic tunnel did not work as a flap-check valve.

Preparation of optically pure α-trifluoromethyl-α-amino acids from N-tosyl-2-trifluoromethyl-2-alkyloxycarbonyl aziridine.

The preparation of optically pure α-trifluoromethyl-α-amino acids from N-tosyl-2-trifluoromethyl-2-alkyloxycarbonylaziridine is described. Optically pure aziridine was prepared with a 60% yield via three steps from optically pure 2,3-epoxy-1,1,1-trifluoropropane (TFPO). Ring-opening reactions of the aziridine with a variety of nucleophiles and subsequent deprotection of the N-tosyl moieties gave the optically pure β-substituted-α-trifluoromethyl-α-amino acids in moderate to good yields (up to 85%) without racemization at the quaternary stereogenic center of the amino acid.

Alpha-trifluoromethylated carbanion synthons.

Trifluomethylated organic compounds often have properties that make them suitable for diverse applications, including materials science, agrochemistry, and pharmaceutical industry. But of all the therapeutic drugs currently available, about 10% of them have a partially fluorinated moiety. Thus, a great deal of attention is being paid to the development of reliable methodologies for trifluoromethylation.

Palladium-catalyzed chloroimination of imidoyl chlorides to a triple bond: an intramolecular reaction leading to 4-chloroquinolines.

In this paper, a new type of effective chloroimination was reported. This reaction afforded 4-chloro-2-perfluoroalkyl quinolines from fluorinated imidoyl chlorides in high yields. This is the first achievement of oxidative addition-reductive elimination type C-Cl bond activation by chloropalladation.

One-pot synthesis of 3-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)quinolines from pentafluoropropen-2-ol and their molecular modification.

Pentafluoropropen-2-ol (PFP) was prepared by the reaction of hexafluoroacetone (HFA) with Mg/TMSCl. The one-pot tandem sequential reactions of PFP via Mannich addition with aldimines followed by Friedel-Crafts cyclization and aromatization afforded the title quinolines. A variety of corresponding 3-substituted quinolines were derived from the title quinoline by nucleophilic substitution of 3-fluorine with nucleophiles.

Preparation and synthetic application of a novel ketene silyl acetal of methyl trifluoropyruvate.

[reaction: see text] A novel trifluoromethyl ketene silyl acetal (4) of methyl trifluoropyruvate (1) was prepared in 82% yield by metal Mg reduction in a (TMS)Cl/THF system. Subsequent carbon-carbon bond formation such as Mukaiyama aldol, Michael addition, and other nucleophilic reactions of 4 at the trifluoromethylated carbon with various electrophiles gave various coupling products in high yields.

A binary hydrogen bonding motif based on homochiral recognition: crystal structures and hydrogen bonding networks of meso-(R,S)-bis(trifluorolactate)s.

A series of meso-compounds incorporating both enantiomers of a trifluorolactate constructed two-dimensional supramolecular sheets via homochiral hydrogen bonding chains as a binary hydrogen bonding motif.

Stereospecific substitution at alpha-carbon to trifluoromethyl group: application to optically active fluorinated amino acid syntheses.

This account summarizes how we performed the intramolecular nucleophilic substitutions of the hydroxy groups at alpha-position to trifluoromethyl group. The origin of the steric hindrance of the trifluoromethyl group was found to be the electrostatic repulsive force between the nucleophile and the negatively charged fluorine atoms.

Chiral induction controlled by aggregation of organometallics: trifluoromethylated aminoalcohols for chiral ligands in Et2Zn alkylation of benzaldehyde.

Chiral induction in the reaction of Et2Zn with PhCHO by fluorinated chiral amino alcohols was correlated to the extent of aggregation of Et2Zn species, which was estimated by manometric study.

Diastereoselective synthesis of S-tert-butyl-beta-(trifluoromethyl)isocysteine.

Both diastereoisomers of S-tert-butyl-beta-(trifluoromethyl)isocysteine have been synthesized stereoselectively by the sequential reactions of trifluoroacetimidoyl chloride with the lithium enolate of tert-butyl alpha-tert-butylthioacetate, followed by the diastereoselective reduction of the imino group with sodium borohydride in the presence of zinc(II) or di(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether, and finally by the deprotection of N-aryl and tert-butyl ester groups.

The first generation and stereospecific alkylation of alpha-trifluoromethyl oxiranyl anion.

[reaction: see text] Generation and reactions of oxiranyl anion 2 stabilized by a trifluoromethyl group are described. Treatment of (S)-2,3-epoxy-1,1,1-trifluoropropane (75% ee) with n-BuLi followed by electrophiles gave corresponding 2-alkylated epoxide 3 with retention of stereochemistry in moderate to good yields. The reaction is applicable for a general synthesis of optically active trifluoromethylated tertiary alcohols.