Diethylaminodifluorosulfinium tetrafluoroborate (XtalFluor-E) and morpholinodifluorosulfinium tetrafluoroborate (XtalFluor-M) are crystalline fluorinating agents that are more easily handled and significantly more stable than Deoxo-Fluor, DAST, and their analogues. These reagents can be prepared in a safer and more cost-efficient manner by avoiding the laborious and hazardous distillation of dialkylaminosulfur trifluorides. Unlike DAST, Deoxo-Fluor, and Fluolead, XtalFluor reagents do not generate highly corrosive free-HF and therefore can be used in standard borosilicate vessels. When used in conjunction with promoters such as Et3N·3HF, Et3N·2HF, or DBU, XtalFluor reagents effectively convert alcohols to alkyl fluorides and carbonyls to gem-difluorides. These reagents are typically more selective than DAST and Deoxo-Fluor and exhibit superior performance by providing significantly less elimination side products.

Aminodifluorosulfinium tetrafluoroborate salts were found to act as efficient deoxofluorinating reagents when promoted by an exogenous fluoride source and, in most cases, exhibited greater selectivity by providing less elimination byproduct as compared to DAST and Deoxo-Fluor. Aminodifluorosulfinium tetrafluoroborates are easy handled crystalline salts that show enhanced thermal stability over dialkylaminosulfur trifluorides, are storage-stable, and unlike DAST and Deoxo-Fluor do not react violently with water.

Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) was found to mediate the Lossen rearrangement of various hydroxamic acids to isocyanates. This process is experimentally simple and mild, with imidazole and CO(2) being the sole stoichiometric byproduct. Significant for large-scale application, the method avoids the use of hazardous reagents and thus represents a green alternative to standard processing conditions for the Curtius and Hofmann rearrangements.

[figure: see text] Palladium and Raney nickel were found to catalyze the methanolysis of borane-amine adducts. Hence, strongly complexed amines can now be liberated by simple treatment with Pd/C or Raney Ni in methanol. The method is applicable to primary, secondary, tertiary, and aromatic amines, and the mildness of the reaction conditions allows preservation of otherwise labile functional groups.

The title salts are more stable and more easily handled than DAST and Deoxo-Fluor and can be prepared in a safer and more cost-effective manner. In combination with DBU, NEt3·3HF, or NEt3·2HF they allow convenient formation of alkyl fluorides from alcohols, gem-difluorides from carbonyl compounds, and α-fluorothioethers from sulfoxides. -(L'HEUREUX, A.; BEAULIEU, F.; BENNETT, C.; BILL, D. R.; CLAYTON, S.; LAFLAMME, F.; MIRMEHRABI, M.; TADAYON, S.; TOVELL, D.; COUTURIER*, M.; J. Org.