Microwave accelerated three-component fluoroalkylations: expeditious routes to fluoropharmaceuticals and PET ligands

One-pot three-component coupling methods have been developed to allow in situ preparation of fluoroalkylated arenes and hydrocarbon chain analogs. The methods, which are accelerated under microwave irradiation gives access to ω-fluorinated alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl substituted arenes from readily available precursors. The methods involve late stage introduction of the fluorine and are well suited to application in the synthesis of 18F labeled PET imaging agents.