Organoboron Reagent-Controlled Selective (Deutero)Hydrodefluorination

(Deuterium-labeled) CF2H- and CFH2-moieties are of high interest in drug discovery. The high demand for the incorporation of these fluoroalkyl moieties into molecular structures has witnessed significant synthetic progress, particularly in the (deutero)hydrodefluorination of CF3-containing compounds. However, the controllable replacement of fluorine atoms while maintaining high chemoselectivity remains challenging. Herein, we describe the development of a selective (deutero)hydrodefluorination reaction via electrolysis. The reaction exhibits a remarkable chemoselectivity control, which is enabled by the addition of different organoboron sources. The procedure is operationally simple and scalable, and provides access in one step to high-value building blocks for application in medicinal chemistry. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to investigate the reaction mechanism and to rationalize the chemoselectivity observed.

Automated summary

This article describes a selective (deutero)hydrodefluorination reaction via electrolysis, which achieves remarkable chemoselectivity control by the addition of different organoboron sources. The method is operationally simple, scalable, and provides access to high-value building blocks for medicinal chemistry in one step.