Copper-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Alkyl Bromides
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Communication Cite This: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 6853−6858 pubs.acs.org/JACS Copper-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Alkyl Bromides David J. P. Kornfilt and David W. C. MacMillan* Merck Center for Catalysis at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States *S Supporting Information ABSTRACT: Copper oxidative addition into organo- halides is a challenging two-electron process. In contrast, 2 − formal oxidative addition of copper to Csp carbon bromine bonds can be accomplished by employing latent silyl radicals under photoredox conditions. This novel paradigm for copper oxidative addition has now been 3 applied to a Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling of Csp -bromides. Specifically, a copper/photoredox dual catalytic system for the coupling of alkyl bromides with trifluoromethyl groups is presented. This operationally simple and robust protocol successfully converts a variety of alkyl, allyl, benzyl, and heterobenzyl bromides into the corresponding alkyl trifluoromethanes. ver the past four decades, a range of novel ligand classes O in combination with palladium and nickel salts have enabled the efficient catalytic conversion of C−X bonds into carbon−carbon, −nitrogen, −sulfur, and −oxygen bonds across a vast array of reaction manifolds.1 In contrast, copper has achieved limited success in analogous transformations, a notable deficiency given its salient potential for economical and operational benefit.2 Copper’s diminished utility arises from an intrinsically high barrier to oxidative addition with both haloarenes and aliphatic halides. This feature necessitates the use of activated aryl bromides and iodides along with elevated temperatures in the former case, while haloalkanes Figure 1. Catalytic trifluoromethylation of alkyl bromides remain effectively inert to almost all forms of catalytic copper 3 Downloaded via PRINCETON UNIV on May 16, 2019 at 17:41:20 (UTC). insertion. This deficiency is further underscored by the fact − that high-valent Cu(III) complexes undergo reductive to reductive elimination of aryl CF3 products using either 8 elimination with electronegative coupling partners (e.g., CF3, nickel or palladium salts. In this disclosure, we elevate this CN, F moieties) at rates that are often superior to Ni and Pd radical capture/copper oxidative addition platform to the See https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines for options on how to legitimately share published articles. salts.4 implementation of aliphatic bromides, a structural format that Recently, we became interested in overcoming the copper has previously been outside the scope of most copper-catalyzed oxidative addition problem via the conversion of aryl and alkyl cross-coupling protocols. bromides to their aryl- and alkyl-Cu(III) analogs using a Within medicinal chemistry, the introduction of trifluor- 3 ff halogen-atom abstraction/metal-radical capture mechanism. omethyl groups onto Csp -rich sca olds can often enhance the More specifically, silicon-centered radicals have long been pharmacokinetic propertiesofleadcandidatesindrug established as potent abstractors of bromine atoms that can discovery, generally via improvements in surface hydro- rapidly convert organobromides into carbon-centered radicals phobicity and/or decreased rates of enzymatic metabolism 5 9 fl under mild conditions (Figure 1). In contrast to their limited and clearance. However, the catalytic tri uoromethylation of capacity for oxidative addition, copper salts can efficiently trap alkyl halides has historically been challenging, and at the ff present time substrate tolerance is limited to allylic or benzylic carbon-centered radicals at rates approaching di usion control, 10 3− thereby allowing copper C−X insertion to be readily halides. The production of Csp CF3 bonds has been accomplished via an alternative open-shell mechanism.6 accomplished using stoichiometric Cu(III)-based reagents; Recently, this previously unknown approach has enabled aryl however, only recently have catalytic variants been inves- bromides to undergo copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylation at room temperature,7 a transformation that was generally Received: March 19, 2019 considered to be challenging given the kinetically high barrier Published: April 15, 2019 © 2019 American Chemical Society 6853 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03024 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 6853−6858 Journal of the American Chemical Society Communication Figure 2. Proposed mechanism for the copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of alkyl bromides via metallophotoredox. a b tigated.11 Given the success of our copper/aryl halide Table 1. Control Reactions of Optimized Conditions , insertion−trifluoromethylation studies, we questioned whether this open shell cross-coupling mechanism might be translated to all classes of aliphatic bromides, thereby delivering a fi catalytic CF3-installation protocol of signi cant utility to medicinal and process chemists. Herein we disclose the successful execution of these ideals and present a mild, broadly entry deviation yield applicable, one-step protocol for the conversion of alkyl 1 none 94% bromides into alkyl trifluoromethanes. 2 TMS3SiH instead of 4 50% We envisioned that a dual copper/photoredox trifluorome- 3 4CzIPN (17) instead of 1 94% thylation mechanism might be initiated by photoexcitation of 4 no CuCl2 0% III Ir photocatalyst 1 with blue LEDs to generate a long-lived 5 no TMS3SiOH 0% IrIII excited state (2)(Figure 2). Given the relative oxidation 6 no light 0% III red * III II 7 no photocatalyst 0% potentials of the excited-state Ir catalyst (2, E1/2 [ Ir /Ir ] = +1.60 V vs SCE in MeCN) and tris(trimethylsilyl)silanol (4, 8 no base 26% red +• a Ep [(TMS)3SiOH /(TMS)3SiOH] = +1.54 V vs SCE in Performed with 15 (0.05 mmol), CuCl2 (20 mol %), 1 or 17 (1 or 5 7 MeCN), we assumed that a rapid SET event would generate mol %, respectively), 8 (2 equiv), (TMS)3SiOH (2 equiv), and ° b Na2CO3 (4 equiv) in DMSO (0.025 M) for 4 h at 30 C. Yields are silicon-centered radical 5 after a deprotonation and radical 19 Brook rearrangement sequence.12 At this stage, silyl radical 5 reported on the basis of F NMR analysis using PhCF3 as an internal standard. was expected to abstract a bromine atom from alkyl bromide 6 at a rate on the order of 107 M−1 s−1 to generate corresponding 5b alkyl radical 7. At the same time, single electron transfer silane, presumably due to the feature that supersilane has a II red III II − between the Ir reductant (3, E1/2 [Ir /Ir ]= 0.81 V vs weak Si−H bond (BDE = 84 kcal/mol)15 and can participate fl SCE in MeCN) and electrophilic tri uoromethylation reagent in competitive hydrogen-atom transfer to produce proto- red − 7,10g 8 (Ep = 0.52 V in MeCN) would regenerate dehalogenated material (entry 2). Notably, the Adachi-Zhang photocatalyst 1 while inducing the production of the organic photocatalyst, 4CzIPN (17), was also highly effective fl 13 I 16 tri uoromethyl radical (9). Rapid capture of 9 by Cu for this transformation (entry 3). While control reactions II− species 10 would produce Cu CF3 adduct 11. Subsequent revealed that the copper catalyst, silanol, blue light, and II− combination of this Cu CF3 adduct with alkyl radical 7,a photocatalyst were all individually necessary (entries 4−7, 0% step that is considered to happen with kinetics approaching yield), the omission of base resulted in decreased but ff ff III− di usion rates, would a ord critical alkyl-Cu CF3 species 12, measurable product formation (entry 8). Moreover, the use which upon reductive elimination would afford the desired of ligated copper salts led to decreased yields. Lastly, an product 13 and regenerate the CuI catalyst.14 examination of alternate metal chlorides including Ni, Fe, Co, Initial experiments on a representative alkyl bromide, 15, and Pd salts showed no activity, further highlighting the unique revealed that the combination of silanol 4, trifluoromethyl- effectiveness of Cu.17 sulfonium salt 8, photocatalyst 1, and CuCl2 was highly With these conditions in hand, we next turned our attention ff ff e ective, a ording the desired CF3-bearing product 16 in 94% to evaluating the scope of this new alkyl trifluoromethylation yield (Table 1, entry 1). In agreement with our previous reaction. First, with a diverse set of primary alkyl bromides, we studies, silanol 4 proved to be superior to tris(trimethylsilyl)- determined that excellent functional group compatibility was 6854 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03024 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 6853−6858 Journal of the American Chemical Society Communication a b Table 2. Scope of the Copper-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation Reaction of Alkyl Bromides via Metallophotoredox , a Performed with CuCl2 (20 mol %), 8 (2 equiv), 4 (2 equiv), Na2CO3 (4 equiv), and with either 1 (1 mol %) or 17 (5 mol %) in MeCN or DMSO, respectively (see Supporting Information for full experimental details). bDue to the volatility of a number of products, yields are reported 19 c on the basis of F NMR analysis using PhCF3 as an internal standard. Isolated yields are in parentheses. Performed with 17 in DMSO for 1 h. dPerformed with 1 in MeCN for 4 h. ePerformed with 17 in DMSO for 30 min. 6855 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03024 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 6853−6858 Journal of the American Chemical Society Communication possible with substrates containing alcohols, esters, amides, cyclopropanes under reducing Grignard conditions is known to and protected amines (Table 2, 18−22,61−83% yield). Next, proceed without cyclopropane opening. As such, functionaliza- secondary cyclic alkyl bromides were converted to their tion of these radical clock substrates would enable us to trifluoromethyl congeners in good to excellent yield (23−25, distinguish the mechanistic basis for the current protocol from 52−95% yield), presaging the utility of this transformation for direct oxidative addition by either low-valent or nano- rapid access to analogs of drug-like molecules. The observed particulate copper in solution.22 Upon exposure of 56 to our lack of diastereoselectivity for cyclobutane adduct 24 is standard protocol, we observed the production of 58 in 14% consistent with a carbon-centered, radical-based mechanism.