Bipyridinium and Phenanthrolinium Dications for Metal-Free Hydrodefluorination: Distinctive Carbon-Based Reactivity

Burton, Katherine I.; Elser, Iris; Waked, Alexander E.; Wagener, Tobias; Andrews, Ryan J.; Glorius, Frank; Stephan, Douglas W.

Abstract

The development of novel Lewis acids derived from bipyridinium and phenanthrolinium dications is reported. Calculations of Hydride Ion Affinity (HIA) values indicate high carbon-based Lewis acidity at the ortho and para positions. This arises in part from extensive LUMO delocalization across the aromatic backbones. Species [C10H6R2N2CH2CH2]2+ (R=H [1 a]2+, Me [1 f]2+, tBu [1 g]2+), and [C12H4R4N2CH2CH2]2+ (R=H [2 a]2+, Me [2 b]2+) were prepared and evaluated for use in the initiation of hydrodefluorination (HDF) catalysis. Compound [2 a]2+ proved highly effective towards generating catalytically active silylium cations via Lewis acid-mediated hydride abstraction from silane. This enabled the HDF of a range of aryl- and alkyl- substituted sp3(C−F) bonds under mild conditions. The protocol was also adapted to effect the deuterodefluorination of cis-2,4,6-(CF3)3C6H9. The dications are shown to act as hydride acceptors with the isolation of neutral species C16H14N2 (3 a) and C16H10Me4N2 (3 b) and monocationic species [C14H13N2]+ ([4 a]+) and [C18H21N2]+ ([4 b]+). Experimental and computational data provide further support that the dications are initiators in the generation of silylium cations.