Vinyl Fluoride Research Articles

Transition‐Metal‐Free Approach for Z‐Vinyl Fluorides by Hydrofluorination of Alkynes bearing SF4 and SF5 Groups

AbstractThe synthesis of vinyl fluorides plays a crucial role in various scientific disciplines, including pharmaceutical and materials sciences. Herein, we present a direct and stereoselective hydrofluorination method for the synthesis of Z isomers of vinyl fluorides from alkynes containing unexplored SF5 and SF4 groups. Our strategy employed tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) as a fluorine source. It demonstrates high compatibility with aryls, biaryls, heteroaryls, and tert‐alkyl groups, allowing facile incorporation of SF5 and SF4 groups across the triple bond without any transition‐metal catalysts. This approach avoids the potential decomposition of the SF5 or SF4 units via coordination with transition metals or acidic protic sources. Remarkably, this transformation proceeded at room temperature without any additional additives, providing the Z isomer of vinyl fluorides in excellent yield and high selectivity. The presence of a water molecule as a hydrate in TBAF is essential for efficient conversion. This methodology opens new avenues for the synthesis of enchanting SF5‐ and SF4‐containing fluorinated vinylic scaffolds, thereby providing advanced opportunities for novel drug discovery and fluorinated polymers.

Transition-Metal-Free Approach for Z-Vinyl Fluorides by Hydrofluorination of Alkynes bearing SF4 and SF5 Groups.

The synthesis of vinyl fluorides plays a crucial role in various scientific disciplines, including pharmaceutical and materials sciences. Herein, we present a direct and stereoselective hydrofluorination method for the synthesis of Z isomers of vinyl fluorides from alkynes containing unexplored SF5 and SF4 groups. Our strategy employed tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) as a fluorine source. It demonstrates high compatibility with aryls, biaryls, heteroaryls, and tert-alkyl groups, allowing facile incorporation of SF5 and SF4 groups across the triple bond without any transition-metal catalysts. This approach avoids the potential decomposition of the SF5 or SF4 units via coordination with transition metals or acidic protic sources. Remarkably, this transformation proceeded at room temperature without any additional additives, providing the Z isomer of vinyl fluorides in excellent yield and high selectivity. The presence of a water molecule as a hydrate in TBAF is essential for efficient conversion. This methodology opens new avenues for the synthesis of enchanting SF5 - and SF4 -containing fluorinated vinylic scaffolds, thereby providing advanced opportunities for novel drug discovery and fluorinated polymers.

Mechanistic Study on Steric Activity Interplay of Olefin/Polar Monomers for Industrially Selective Late Transition Metal Catalytic Reactions.

A significant issue in developing metal-catalyzed plastic polymer materials is obtaining distinctive catalytic characteristics to compete with current plastics in industrial commodities. We performed first-principle DFT calculations on the key insertion steps for industrially important monomers, vinyl fluoride (VF) and 3,3,3-trifluoropropene (TFP), to explain how the ligand substitution patterns affect the complex's polymerization behaviors. Our results indicate that the favorable 2,1-insertion of TFP is caused by less deformation in the catalyst moiety of the complexes in contrast to the 1,2-insertion mode. In contrast to the VF monomer, the additional interaction between the fluorine atoms of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene and the carbons of the catalyst ligands also contributed to favor the 2,1-insertion. It was found that the regioselectivity of the monomer was predominated by the progressive alteration of the catalytic geometry caused by small dihedral angles that were developed after the ligand-monomer interaction. Based on the distribution of the 1,2- and 2,1-insertion products, the activity and selectivity were influenced by the steric environment surrounding the palladium center; thus, an increased steric bulk visibly improved the selectivity of the bulkier polar monomer (TFP) during the copolymerization mechanism. In contrast, better activity was maintained through a sterically less hindered Pd metal center; the calculated moderate energy barriers showed that a catalyst with less steric hindrance might provide an opportunity for a wide range of prospective industrial applications.

Practical Synthesis of Terminal Vinyl Fluorides.

The synthesis of di- and trisubstituted vinyl fluorides with high isomeric purity remains a challenge for organic synthesis. While many methods exist to access these compounds, the separation of the desired isomer from the minor isomer and/or starting materials often is difficult. Herein, we report a practical method to access di- and trisubstituted vinyl fluorides via a selective Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination/hydrolysis, which provides crystalline 2-fluoroacrylic acids in high (>98%) E-isomeric purity. A subsequent silver-catalyzed stereoretentive decarboxylation provides the title substances with high isomeric purity and without the need for tedious chromatography to remove the minor isomer. The process was amenable to a variety of aldehydes and ketones and provided a diverse array of di- and trisubstituted vinyl fluorides. The sequence was applied to the synthesis of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Microstructures and Ferroelectric Properties of Poly(vinylidene fluoride-ter-trifluoroethylene-ter-vinyl fluoride) Terpolymers

The incorporation of comonomers as structural defects has been extensively exploited to modulate the structures and physical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based ferroelectric polymers. Previous studies have shown that the large-sized comonomers can induce relaxor ferroelectricity in the PVDF-based terpolymers as a result of the stabilization of the helical conformation. Here, we show that, with incorporating a small-sized defect, vinyl fluoride (VF), into the copolymer, the resulting terpolymers preferentially adopt the polar all-trans conformation, as revealed by the structural characterizations and confirmed by density functional theory simulations. Consequently, the terpolymers exhibit robust ferroelectricity with an increased ferroelectric-to-paraelectric transition temperature and a higher coercive field as the VF content increases. This work systematically investigates the compositional dependence of the microstructures, crystalline structures, and ferroelectric and electromechanical properties of the terpolymers and stresses the vital role of comonomer size in tailoring the structures and properties of ferroelectric polymers.

Field retrieved photovoltaic backsheet survey from diverse climate zones: Analysis of degradation patterns and phenomena

Understanding the impact of climate stressors on photovoltaic (PV) backsheet degradation in real-use conditions is critical to improve the accelerated testing exposures, extend the backsheet lifetime, and increase the confidence in PV reliability. In this work, a total of 33 PV module backsheets were retrieved from six climatic zones worldwide with 2 - 28 years of exposure. These modules included five types of backsheet air-side materials (or outer layer): poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene-co-vinylidene fluoride) (THV), poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and polyamide (PA). Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to identify air-side materials. The degradation induced color change, gloss loss, and chemical material changes analyzed using optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), colorimetry (yellowness index (YI)), and gloss measurements. PVDF, THV, and PVF air-side layer backsheets, in particular PVF, had minimal degradation in the air-side layer appearance and chemical structures after exposure in different climatic zones. The PET air-side backsheets exhibited obvious color increase (22.55 YI units after about 9 years exposure) and the PA/PA/PA backsheets showed large gloss loss (up to 76.4 %) relative to the unexposed backsheets. Severe cracks between cells that penetrated through the entire thickness of backsheets are observed on PA/PA/PA backsheets after 4-6 years of exposure in 6 climatic zones. The current indoor exposure standards were not sufficient to identify this degradation type. However, fluoropolymer based PV backsheets showed lower levels of degradation predictors and increased climatic resistance. Specific samples (PVF) showed little change from baseline after 28 years of outdoor exposure.

A Density Functional Theory Study on the Cobalt-Mediated Intramolecular Pauson–Khand Reaction of Enynes Containing a Vinyl Fluoride Moiety

AbstractThe Co2(CO)8-mediated intramolecular Pauson–Khand reaction (PKR) is an effective method for constructing polycyclic structures. Recently, our group reported a series of this type of reaction involving fluorinated enynes that proceed with reasonable reaction rates and yields. However, mechanistic studies involving these fluorinated derivatives in intramolecular PKR are scarce. In this study, density functional theory calculations are used to clarify the mechanism and reactivity of enynes containing a vinyl fluoride moiety for this reaction. In agreement with previous studies, alkene insertion is considered to be the rate-determining step for the overall Pauson–Khand reaction of enynes containing a vinyl fluoride moiety. The effect of the substituent on the Co2(CO)8-mediated intramolecular Pauson–Khand reaction has also been investigated. When introducing heteroatoms as tethering units, the fluorinated enynes exhibited lower reactivity than the malonate homologues, whereas the use of a sulfur-based tether was unsuccessful. This computational study provides detailed information about the PKR mechanism and transition-state structures, and the results are validated with previous experimental results.

A closer look at the synthesis of 2-[18F]fluoroethyl tosylate to minimize the formation of volatile side-products

Background2-[18F]Fluoroethyltosylate ([18F]FEtOTs) is a well-known 18F-fluoroalkylating agent widely used to synthesize radiotracers for positron emission tomography. The widespread use of [18F]FEtOTs is due in part to its low volatility when compared to other halide and sulfonate building blocks. In this work, the radioactive volatile side-products formed during the synthesis of [18F]FEtOTs were identified and characterized for the first time, and an optimization of the reaction conditions to minimize their formation was proposed.ResultsIn order to characterize the volatiles produced during [18F]FEtOTs synthesis, the reaction mixtures of both cold FEtOTs and [18F]FEtOTs were co-injected onto the HPLC system. The radioactive peaks corresponding to the volatile compounds were collected, analyzed through headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry sampler (HS-GC–MS) and identified as vinyl fluoride ([19F]VF) and 2-fluoroethanol ([19F]FEOH). By using a rotatable central composite design with a two-level full factorial core of two factors (22), it was determined that temperature and time are independent variables which affect the generation of [18F]VF and [18F]FEOH during the radiosynthesis of [18F]FEtOTs. In addition, in order to reduce the formation of the volatiles ([18F]VF and [18F]FEOH) and increase the yield of [18F]FEtOTs, it was demonstrated that the molar ratio of base to precursor must also be considered.Conclusion[18F]VF and [18F]FEOH are volatile side-products formed during the radiosynthesis of [18F]FEtOTs, whose yields depend on the reaction time, temperature, and the molar ratio of base to precursor. Therefore, special care should be taken during the radiosynthesis and subsequent reactions using [18F]FEOTs in order to avoid environmental contamination and to improve the yield of the desired products.

A deep insight of solubility behavior, mechanical quantum, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties of Pebax-1657 polymer blends with various types of vinyl polymers: A mechanical quantum and molecular dynamics simulation study

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a key method frequently used to develop and design new blend polymers and predict their properties. In this study, frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and mechanical quantum (MQ) methods were used to determine the partial charges, energy values, phase behavior, regioselectivity, chemical reactivity, and surface properties of Pebax-1657 (Px) and three vinyl group polymers. Subsequently, the blend compatibility, miscibility, and mechanical behavior of poly (vinyl fluoride) (PVF), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC), and poly (vinyl acetate) (PVAc) with Px were analyzed for a range of combinations using atomistic simulation systems. Accordingly, MD simulations were performed for the Px/PVAc, Px/PVC, and Px/PVF blend models with different composition ratios (80/20, 70/30, and 60/40, by weight) at a temperature T = 298 K and pressure P = 1 bar. For all the systems, the electron affinity (A) and ionization energy (I) were determined to calculate the global softness (σ), global hardness (η), polarizability, chemical potential (µ), and electrophilicity index (ω). The softness decreased in the following order: PVC > Px > PVF > PVAc. It can be deduced that PVC and PVAc are the most polarizable and exhibit the lowest chemical reactivities. Additionally, PVF and PVC exhibited the highest and lowest chemical hardness values, respectively. Accordingly, based on the calculated solubility parameters, PVAc, PVC, and PVF were miscible with Px and reached the same glass transition temperature (Tg). Moreover, the χ (chi) parameters of the Px-PVAc, Px-PVC, and Px-PVF polymer blends were ranked as follows: Px-PVF (∼2.66) > Px-PVC (∼1.59) > Px-PVAc (∼0.64), suggesting that Px-PVAc and Px-PVF exhibited high and low miscibility, respectively. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of Px-PVAc, Px-PVC, and Px-PVF blend polymers reduced when the content of PVAc, PVC, and PVF exceeded 30% wt.

Regio- and Stereoselective Installation of Bromide onto Vinyl Sulfonyl Fluorides: Construction of a Class of Versatile Sulfur Fluoride Exchange Hubs

A convenient protocol for the exclusively regio- and stereoselective installation of a bromine atom on the 2-arylvinylsulfonyl fluorides using lithium bromide (LiBr) as the bromine source was described, providing (Z)-1-bromo-2-arylethene-1-sulfonyl fluorides (Z-BASF) with versatile reactive handles (bromide, vinyl, and sulfonyl fluoride) in ≤88% yield. Meanwhile, Z-BASF molecules displayed various reactivities in a series of chemical transformations.

Electrochemical Fluorination of Vinyl Boronates through Donor-Stabilized Vinyl Carbocation Intermediates.

The electrochemical generation of vinyl carbocations from alkenyl boronic esters and boronates is reported. Using easy-to-handle nucleophilic fluoride reagents, these intermediates are trapped to form fully substituted vinyl fluorides. Mechanistic studies support the formation of dicoordinated carbocations through sequential single-electron oxidation events. Notably, this electrochemical fluorination features fast reaction times and Lewis acid-free conditions. This transformation provides a complementary method to access vinyl fluorides with simple fluoride salts such as TBAF.

Electrochemical Fluorination of Vinyl Boronates through Donor‐Stabilized Vinyl Carbocation Intermediates**

AbstractThe electrochemical generation of vinyl carbocations from alkenyl boronic esters and boronates is reported. Using easy‐to‐handle nucleophilic fluoride reagents, these intermediates are trapped to form fully substituted vinyl fluorides. Mechanistic studies support the formation of dicoordinated carbocations through sequential single‐electron oxidation events. Notably, this electrochemical fluorination features fast reaction times and Lewis acid‐free conditions. This transformation provides a complementary method to access vinyl fluorides with simple fluoride salts such as TBAF.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of fluoromethylated stereocenters by asymmetric hydrogenation.

Fluoromethyl groups possess specific steric and electronic properties and serve as a bioisostere of alcohol, thiol, nitro, and other functional groups, which are important in an assortment of molecular recognition processes. Herein we report a catalytic method for the asymmetric synthesis of a variety of enantioenriched products bearing fluoromethylated stereocenters with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. Various N,P-ligands were designed and applied in the hydrogenation of fluoromethylated olefins and vinyl fluorides.

A comparison of the wavelength-dependent photochemical reactions of ozone with vinyl bromide and fluoride in argon matrices

A study of the photolytically-induced reactions of ozone with vinyl bromide and vinyl fluoride, H2CCHX (X = F, Br), in argon matrixes is described, after either red LED (625 nm) or Hg pen lamp (254 nm) irradiation. Products were observed using infrared spectroscopy and identification was aided by 18O labeling experiments. The experimental work was supported by extensive DFT calculations. For vinyl bromide, bromoacetaldehyde was the dominant product despite the fact that acetyl bromide was calculated to be the most energetically favored product. Lesser amounts of bromooxirane and possibly bromovinyl alcohol were observed. These results are in agreement with an earlier study of the photochemical reaction of ozone with vinyl chloride. In contrast, the overall product yield with vinyl fluoride was much lower. Fluorooxirane was the main product with only a hint of fluoroacetaldehyde despite that fact that fluorooxirane was calculated to be higher in energy than either acetyl fluoride or fluoroacetaldehyde.

Copolymerization of Ethylene and Vinyl Fluoride by Self-Assembled Multinuclear Palladium Catalysts.

The self-assembled multinuclear PdII complexes {(Li-OPOOMe2)PdMe(4-5-nonyl-pyridine)}4Li2Cl2 (C, Li-OPOOMe2 = PPh(2-SO3Li-4,5-(OMe)2-Ph)(2-SO3−-4,5-(OMe)2-Me-Ph)), {(Zn-OP-P-SO)PdMe(L)}4 (D, L = pyridine or 4-tBu-pyridine, [OP-P-SO]3− = P(4-tBu-Ph)(2-PO32−-5-Me-Ph)(2-SO3−-5-Me-Ph)), and {(Zn-OP-P-SO)PdMe(pyridine)}3 (E) copolymerize ethylene and vinyl fluoride (VF) to linear copolymers. VF is incorporated at levels of 0.1–2.5 mol% primarily as in-chain -CH2CHFCH2- units. The molecular weight distributions of the copolymers produced by D and E are generally narrower than for catalyst C, which suggests that the Zn-phosphonate cores of D and E are more stable than the Li-sulfonate-chloride core of C under copolymerization conditions. The ethylene/VF copolymerization activities of C–E are over 100 times lower and the copolymer molecular weights (MWs) are reduced compared to the results for ethylene homopolymerization by these catalysts.

Stereodivergent Alkyne Hydrofluorination Using Protic Tetrafluoroborates as Tunable Reagents

AbstractThe discovery of safe, general, and practical procedures to prepare vinyl fluorides from readily available precursors remains a synthetic challenge. The metal‐free hydrofluorination of alkynes constitutes an attractive though elusive strategy for their preparation. Introduced here is an inexpensive and easily handled reagent that enables the development of simple and scalable protocols for the regioselective hydrofluorination of alkynes to access both the E and Z isomers of vinyl fluorides. These reaction conditions were suitable for a diverse collection of alkynes, including several highly functionalized pharmaceutical derivatives. Computational and experimental mechanistic studies support C−F bond formation through vinyl cation intermediates, with the E‐ and Z‐hydrofluorination products forming under kinetic and thermodynamic control, respectively.

Pauson-Khand reaction of fluorinated compounds.

The Pauson–Khand reaction (PKR) is one of the key methods for the construction of cyclopentenone derivatives, which can in turn undergo diverse chemical transformations to yield more complex biologically active molecules. Despite the increasing availability of fluorinated building blocks and methodologies to incorporate fluorine in compounds with biological interest, there have been few significant advances focused on the fluoro-Pauson–Khand reaction, both in the inter- and intramolecular versions. Furthermore, the use of vinyl fluorides as olefinic counterparts had been completely overlooked. In this review, we collect the advances both on the stoichiometric and catalytic intermolecular and intramolecular fluoro-Pauson–Khand reaction, with special attention to the PKR of enynes containing a fluoride moiety.

Thermally conductive SiC as support of aluminum fluoride for the catalytic dehydrofluorination reaction

Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) is a typical catalyst for dehydrofluorination of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to fluoroolefins with high heat of reaction. Consequently, heat supply and sintering are the key challenges for AlF3-based catalysts. Herein, SiC with high thermal conductivity and resistance to HF corrosion is suggested as a candidate support of AlF3 catalyst. The interaction between AlF3 and SiC leads to uniform distribution of the catalytic phase, and as a result of this, AlF3/SiC exhibits high catalytic activity and stability for the dehydrofluorination of 1,1-difluoroethane to vinyl fluoride. This study proposes a novel catalyst support (SiC) for strong endothermic catalytic reactions involving HFCs for the first time to the best of our knowledge.

Intermolecular fluoroamination of allenes towards substituted vinyl fluorides.

A synthetic method towards fluorinated allylamines using allene precursors is reported. A variety of heterocyclic amines were employed as nucleophiles in a Selectfluor promoted intermolecular fluoroamination reaction. This strategy provides a novel synthetic route to access vinyl fluorides with a vicinal amine moiety.

A guinea pig for conformer selectivity and mechanistic insights into dissociative ionization by photoelectron photoion coincidence: fluorocyclohexane.

We studied fluorocyclohexane (C6H11F, FC6) by double imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy in the 9.90-13.90 eV photon energy range. The photoelectron spectrum can identify species isomer and, in this case, even conformer selectively. Ab initio results indicated that the axial conformer has two, close-lying cation electronic states. With the help of Franck-Condon simulations of the vibrational fine structure, we determined the origin of three transitions, (i) axial FC6 → axial FC6+ of C1 symmetry (X[combining tilde]+, A'' in CS), (ii) equatorial FC6 → equatorial FC6+ of C1 symmetry (X[combining tilde]+, A'' in CS), and (iii) axial FC6 → A' axial FC6+ of CS symmetry (Ã+) as 10.12 ± 0.01, 10.15 ± 0.01 and 10.15 ± 0.02 eV, respectively. At slightly higher energies, the FC6 cation starts fragmenting by HF loss (E0 = 10.60 eV), followed by sequential CH3 (E0 = 10.71 eV) or C2H4 (E0 = 11.06 eV) loss. Surprisingly, the methyl-loss step has an effective barrier of only 0.11 eV, and yet it is a slow process at threshold. Based on the statistical model, this is explained by isomerization and stabilization of the C6H10+ intermediate. The highest energy channel observed, vinyl fluoride (C2H3F) loss yielding C4H8+ appears in the breakdown diagram at 12 eV, which agrees with the computed threshold to cyclobutane cation formation. However, the model predicted a ca. 1 eV competitive shift for this parallel channel, i.e., an E0 = 11.23 eV. This led us to explore the potential energy surface to find a lower-lying fragmentation channel including H-transfer steps. Rate constant measurements and statistical modeling thus yield fundamental insights into the reaction mechanism beyond what is immediately seen in the mass spectra.