Polyfluoro-1,2-epoxy-alkanes and - cycloalkanes. Part II. Reactions of decafluoro-1,2-epoxycyclohexane

Abstract

The epoxy ring of the title compound has been opened by nucleophilic attack using lithium aluminium hydride, sodium methoxide, methyl lithium, sodium azide and potassium cyanide. The primary product incorporated the nucleophile (N) and an alkoxy function, which was fixed by methylation when N = CN. However, in most cases the alkoxide group decomposed to carbonyl, and the ketone was isolated when N was OMe. More nucleophile could be added across this carbonyl group, the resultant substituted alkoxide being isolated as the tertiary alcohol (N = Me) or the methyl ether (N = N 3). With lithium aluminium hydride (N = H), a secondary alcohol was obtained, the fluorine on the ring carbon bearing the alkoxy group being replaced by H; the pathway probably did not involve a free carbonyl group, since the resultant alcohol was a pure stereoisomer. This was shown by nmr, and also since the pure methoxymethyl ether made from it was dehydrofluorinated exclusively to 2H-octafluorocyclohexenyl methoxymethyl ether.