Catalytic hydrofluorination of olefins using a cobalt catalyst was developed. The exclusive Markovnikov selectivity, functional group tolerance, and scalability of this reaction make it an attractive protocol for the hydrofluorination of olefins. A preliminary mechanistic experiment showed the involvement of a radical intermediate.

The catalytic enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydrofurans, which are found in the structures of many biologically active natural products, via a transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer (TM-HAT) and radical-polar crossover (RPC) mechanism is described herein. Hydroalkoxylation of nonconjugated alkenes proceeded efficiently with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee) using a suitable chiral cobalt catalyst, N-fluoro-2,4,6-collidinium tetrafluoroborate, and diethylsilane. Surprisingly, the absolute configuration of the product was highly dependent on the steric hindrance of the silane. Slow addition of the silane, the dioxygen effect on the solvent, thermal dependence, and DFT calculation results supported the unprecedented scenario of two competing selective mechanisms. For the less-hindered diethylsilane, a high concentration of diffused carbon-centered radicals invoked diastereoenrichment of an alkylcobalt(III) intermediate by a radical chain reaction, which eventually determined the absolute configuration of the product. On the other hand, a more hindered silane resulted in less opportunity for a radical chain reaction, instead facilitating enantioselective kinetic resolution during the late-stage nucleophilic displacement of the alkylcobalt(IV) intermediate.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydrofurans, which are found in the structures of many biologically active natural products, via a transition-metal catalyzed-hydrogen atom transfer (TM-HAT) and radical-polar crossover (RPC) mechanism is described herein. Hydroalkoxylation of non-conjugated alkenes proceeded efficiently with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee) using a suitable chiral cobalt catalyst, <i>N</i>-fluoro-2,4,6-collidinium tetrafluoroborate, and diethylsilane. Surprisingly, absolute configuration of the product was highly dependent on the steric hindrance of the silane. Slow addition of the silane, the dioxygen effect in the solvent, thermal dependency, and DFT calculation results supported the unprecedented scenario of two competing selective mechanisms. For the less-hindered diethylsilane, a high concentration of diffused carbon-centered radicals invoked diastereoenrichment of an alkylcobalt(III) intermediate by a radical chain reaction, which eventually determined the absolute configuration of the product. On the other hand, a more hindered silane resulted in less opportunity for radical chain reaction, instead facilitating enantioselective kinetic resolution during the late-stage nucleophilic displacement of the alkylcobalt(IV) intermediate.

The catalytic enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydrofurans, found in the structures of many biologically active natural products, via a transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer (TM-HAT) and radical-polar crossover (RPC) mechanism is described. Hydroalkoxylation of non-conjugated alkenes proceeded efficiently with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 97:3 er) using a suitable chiral cobalt catalyst, <i>N</i>-fluoro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, and a diethylsilane. Surprisingly, absolute configuration of the product was highly dependent on the bulkiness of the silane. Mechanistic studies suggested a HAT mechanism and multiple enantiodetermining steps via an organocobalt(III) intermediate. DFT calculations suggested the presence of a cationic organocobalt intermediate, and that a critical factor of the enantioselectivity is the thermodynamic stability of the organocobalt(III) intermediate.