title: Catalytic Nucleophilic Fluorination of Secondary and Tertiary Propargylic Electrophiles with a Copper-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex.
abstract: A catalytic method for the nucleophilic fluorination of propargylic electrophiles is described. Our protocol involves the use of a Cu(NHC) complex as the catalyst and is suitable for the preparation of secondary and tertiary propargylic fluorides without the formation of isomeric fluoroallenes. Preliminary mechanistic investigations suggest that fluorination proceeds via copper acetylides and that cationic species are involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ (UK).
authors.forename: Li-Jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ (UK). ccordier@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cordier
keywords: alkynes; carbene ligands; copper; fluorine; homogeneous catalysis