Aminofluorination of Cyclopropanes: A Multifold Approach through a Common, Catalytically Generated Intermediate

We have discovered a highly regioselective aminofluorination of cyclopropanes. Remarkably, four unique sets of conditions-two photochemical, two purely chemical-generated the same aminofluorinated adducts in good to excellent yields. The multiple, diverse ways in which the reaction could be initiated provided valuable clues that led to the proposal of a "unifying" chain propagation mechanism beyond initiation, tied by a common intermediate. In all, the proposed mechanism herein is substantiated by product distribution studies, kinetic analyses, LFERs, Rehm-Weller estimations of ΔGET, competition experiments, KIEs, fluorescence data, and DFT calculations. From a more physical standpoint, transient-absorption experiments have allowed direct spectroscopic observation of radical ion intermediates (previously only postulated or probed indirectly in photochemical fluorination systems) and, consequently, have provided kinetic support for chain propagation. Lastly, calculations suggest that solvent may play an important role in the cyclopropane ring-opening step.