From Simple Alkenes and CO₂ to Fluorinated Carboxylic Acids: Computational Studies and Predictions

Abstract

Fluorinated carboxylic acids may soon become a relevant class of compounds for new materials development and as synthons in medicinal chemistry. In this report, a potential method based on a hydroboration/copper-catalyzed carboxylation reaction sequence has been computationally explored to check whether these moieties could be synthetically accessible. DFT calculations fully support the possibility of obtaining fluorinated carboxylic acids from simple fluorinated alkenes and gaseous carbon dioxide, paving the way to future preparation of this class of chemicals.