Diverting the 5- exo-Trig Oxypalladation to Formally 6- endo-Trig Fluorocycloetherification Product through 1,2-O/Pd(IV) Dyotropic Rearrangement

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Jul 26;145(29):15735-15741. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c06158. Epub 2023 Jul 18.

Abstract

Pd-catalyzed cyclizative functionalization of γ-hydroxyalkenes affords tetrahydrofuran derivatives via a key 5-exo-trig oxypalladation step. Herein, we report a palladium(II)-catalyzed, Selectfluor-mediated formal 6-endo-trig fluorocycloetherification of γ-hydroxyalkenes for the synthesis of functionalized tetrahydropyrans. Mechanistically, an σ-alkyl-Pd(II) intermediate resulting from the 5-exo-trig oxypalladation process is isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Its oxidation with Selectfluor to Pd(IV) triggers the chemoselective 1,2-O/Pd(IV) dyotropic rearrangement affording, after C-F bond-forming reductive elimination, the tetrahydropyrans with concurrent generation of a tertiary carbon-fluorine bond. The occurrence of this 1,2-positional interchange is further evidenced by trapping the rearranged quaternary C(sp3)-Pd bond by an internal nucleophile that is materialized by the development of a Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative bis-heterocyclization of alkenes.