Rhodium‐Catalyzed Regio‐ and Diastereoselective [3+2] Cycloaddition of gem‐Difluorinated Cyclopropanes with Internal Olefins

Abstract

Direct synthesis of gem‐difluorinated carbocyclic molecules represents a longstanding challenge in organic chemistry. Herein, a Rh‐catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction between readily available gem‐difluorinated cyclopropanes (gem‐DFCPs) and internal olefins has been developed, enabling the efficient synthesis of gem‐difluorinated cyclopentanes with good functional group compatibility, excellent regioselectivity and good diastereoselectivity. The resulting gem‐difluorinated products can undergo downstream transformations to access various mono‐fluorinated cyclopentenes and cyclopentanes. This reaction demonstrates the use of gem‐DFCPs as a type of “CF₂” C3 synthon for cycloaddition under transition metal catalysis, which provides potential strategy for synthesizing other gem‐difluorinated carbocyclic molecules.