[18F]Difluorocarbene for Positron Emission Tomography

The advent of total-body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has vastly broadened the range of research and clinical applications of this powerful molecular imaging technology1. Such possibilities have accelerated progress in 18F-radiochemistry with numerous methods available to 18F-label (hetero)arenes and alkanes2. However, access to 18F-difluoromethylated molecules in high molar activity (Am) is largely an unsolved problem, despite the indispensability of the difluoromethyl group for pharmaceutical drug discovery3. We report herein a general solution by introducing carbene chemistry to the field of nuclear imaging with a [18F]difluorocarbene reagent capable of a myriad of 18F-difluoromethylation processes. In contrast to the tens of known difluorocarbene reagents, this 18F-reagent is carefully designed for facile accessibility, high molar activity and versatility. The issue of Am is solved using an assay examining the likelihood of isotopic dilution upon variation of the electronics of the difluorocarbene precursor. Versatility is demonstrated with multiple [18F]difluorocarbene based reactions including O–H, S–H and N–H insertions, and cross-couplings that harness the reactivity of ubiquitous functional groups such as (thio)phenols, N-heteroarenes, and aryl boronic acids that are easy to install. Impact is illustrated with the labelling of highly complex and functionalised biologically relevant molecules and radiotracers

Radical Redox Cycloadditions: A General Light-Driven Meth-od for the Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles

We introduce here a novel two-component annulation strategy that provides access to a diverse collection of five- and six-membered saturated heterocycles from aryl alkenes and a family of redox-active radical precursors bearing tethered nucleophiles. This transformation is mediated by a combination of an Ir(III) photocatalyst and a Brønsted acid under visible-light irradiation. A reductive proton-coupled electron transfer generates a reactive radical which undergoes addition to an alkene. Then, an oxidative radical-polar crossover step leading to carbocation formation is followed by ring closure through cyclization of the tethered nucleophile. A wide range of heterocycles are easily accessible, including pyrrolidines, piperidines, tetrahydrofurans, morpholines, δ-valerolactones, and dioxanones. We demonstrate the scope of this approach through broad structural variation of both reaction components. This method is amenable to gram-scale preparation and to complex fragment coupling

Hydrochlorofluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes with chlorofluoroacetic acid

An operationally simple method enabling hydrochlorofluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes under visible light activation is reported. The procedure has various benefits. It uses commercially available and inexpensive chlorofluoroacetic acid and phenyliodine(III) diacetate for the generation of the required chlorofluoromethyl radical, it converts feedstock olefins into attractive 1-chloro-1-fluoroalkanes, and it tolerates a broad variety of functional groups. The chlorofluoromethyl radical has a reactivity profile towards alkenes similar to the nucleophilic difluoromethyl radical

Silyl radical-mediated activation of sulfamoyl chlorides enables direct access to aliphatic sulfonamides from alkenes

Single electron reduction is more challenging for sulfamoyl chlorides than sulfonyl chlorides. However, sulfamoyl and sulfonyl chlorides can be easily activated by Cl-atom abstraction by a silyl radical with similar rates. This latter mode of activation was therefore selected to access aliphatic sulfonamides, applying a single-step hydrosulfamoylation using inexpensive olefins, tris(trimethylsilyl)silane, and photocatalyst Eosin Y. This late-stage functionalization protocol generates molecules as complex as sulfonamide-containing cyclobutyl-spirooxindoles for direct use in medicinal chemistry

Radical Redox Annulations: A General Light-Driven Method for the Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles

We introduce here a two-component annulation strategy that provides access to a diverse collection of five- and six-membered saturated heterocycles from aryl alkenes and a family of redox-active radical precursors bearing tethered nucleophiles. This transformation is mediated by a combination of an Ir(III) photocatalyst and a Brønsted acid under visible-light irradiation. A reductive proton-coupled electron transfer generates a reactive radical which undergoes addition to an alkene. Then, an oxidative radical-polar crossover step leading to carbocation formation is followed by ring closure through cyclization of the tethered nucleophile. A wide range of heterocycles are easily accessible, including pyrrolidines, piperidines, tetrahydrofurans, morpholines, δ-valerolactones, and dioxanones. We demonstrate the scope of this approach through broad structural variation of both reaction components. This method is amenable to gram-scale preparation and to complex fragment coupling