N-Heterocyclic Carbene and Manganese Synergistic Catalysis: A Three-Component Radical Acylmonofluoroalkylation of Alkenes

Org Lett. 2023 Nov 17;25(45):8168-8172. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c03461. Epub 2023 Nov 3.

Abstract

Despite the importance of monofluoroalkyl groups in pharmaceutically relevant molecules, catalytic protocols for their incorporation into alkenes remain limited. We describe herein a three-component acylmonofluoroalkylation of alkenes for the introduction of such moieties through an unprecedented cooperativity between the N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst and earth-abundant Mn(II) complex. This general method can be applied to a variety of alkenes, including styrenes, 1,3-enynes, and allenes, as well as complex substrates containing natural product and drug motifs.