NUCLEOPHILIC FLUORINATION WITH KF MEDIATED BY 18-CROWN-6: THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF MICROSOLVATION ON SELECTIVITY
Nucleophilic Fluorination, 18-crown-6 Ether, Microsolvation, Free Energy Diagram, Selectivity
In the present study, we establish a fundamental basis for the mechanisms of SN2 and E2 reactions between primary and secondary bromides employing 18-crown-6 ether and KF, including the effect of micro-solvation by t-ButOH, t-ButOHF3, and 2,3-dimethylbutane-2,3-diol in acetonitrile as solvent. As a result, in addition to the finding that SN2 products are favorable in all cases, we observed three main outcomes: i) The introduction of all alcohols t-ButOH, t-ButOHF3, and diol resulted in an increase in KF solubility, with the most pronounced effect for the diol, followed by the fluorinated alcohol; ii) Both alcohols contribute to an increase in chemoselectivity for SN2 reactions, with this effect being more notable for the primary substrate; and iii) Despite the greater chemoselectivity in the presence of the alcohols, no increase in reactivity was observed through the reduction of the observable free energy barrier for t-ButOH, but such an increase was observed for the fluorinated alcohol and diol.