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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by Copper(I)-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
A Radical Strategy for the Synthesis of Polyfluorinated Biaromatic Hydrocarbons via Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive
Wenhao Xu1, Jie Tan1, Zhengling Wu1
1Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science,Soochow University,Suzhou 215123, P.R. China.
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The polyfluorinated biaromatic framework is a key structural motif in pharmaceutical chemistry and advanced functional materials. However, its synthesis is frequently hindered by multistep processes and stringent reaction conditions. In this study, we present a nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling strategy between halogenated arenes, offering a streamlined and efficient route to polyfluorinated biaryl hydrocarbons via a radical mechanism. This method exhibits broad substrate scope and significantly reduces the complexity of synthetic routes to a range of fluorinated compounds, including liquid crystals, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diflunisal, and aminopeptidase inhibitors, highlighting its practical relevance. Mechanistic investigations indicate that a nickel(0) species facilitates the activation of polyfluorinated aryl bromides, generating key polyfluoroaryl radicals that drive the cross-coupling process. Overall, this work introduces a practical and versatile approach to accessing polyfluorinated biaryl structures and broadens the applicability of reductive biaryl coupling methodologies.
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