Mechanistic Insights of Copper Catalyzed Trifluoromethyl Aziridine Opening: Regioselective and Stereospecific Aryl Grignard Addition

The copper catalyzed regioselective and stereospecificopeningof CF3-aziridines is reported. This method focuses on thesynthesis of & alpha;-CF3-& beta;-arylethylamines, whichcan be potential key intermediates in the synthesis of synthetic analoguesand biologically active molecules. Density functional theory calculationsreveal the nature of the active copper species and the role of theLiClMgX(2) (X = Cl or I) as a Lewis acid. Further, the computedmechanism accounts for the high regioselectivity of this transformation.

Automated summary

This study reports the copper catalyzed selective and stereospecific opening of CF3-aziridines. The focus is on the synthesis of α-CF3-β-arylethylamines, which can serve as important intermediates for the synthesis of synthetic analogues and biologically active molecules. Density functional theory calculations provide insights into the active copper species and the role of LiClMgX (X = Cl or I) as a Lewis acid. Furthermore, the computed mechanism explains the high regioselectivity of this transformation.