Parallel Minisci Reaction of gem-Difluorocycloalkyl Building Blocks

Parallel Minisci reactions of nonfluorinated and gem-difluorinated C₄-C₇ cycloalkyl building blocks (trifluoroborates and carboxylic acids) with a series of electron-deficient heterocycles were studied. A comparison of the reaction's outcome revealed better product yields in the case of carboxylic acids as the radical precursors in most cases, albeit these reagents were used with three-fold excess under optimized conditions. The nature of the heterocyclic core was found to be important for successful incorporation of the cycloalkyl fragment. The impact of the CF₂ moiety on the oxidation potential of fluorinated cycloalkyl trifluoroborates and the reaction outcome, in general, was also evaluated.