Synthesis and properties of fluorous arenes and triaryl phosphorus compounds with branched fluoroalkyl moieties (“split pony tails”)

Most compounds designed for immobilization in fluorous media feature linear pony tails of the formula (CH2)m(CF2)n−1CF3 [(CH2)mRfn]. This paper presents a first-generation approach to compounds with branched or “split” pony tails of the formula (CH2)lCH[(CH2)mRfn]2. Allyl tri(n-butyl)tin is reacted twice with perfluorooctyl iodide (Rf8I; first, photochemical, 78–81%; second, thermal with radical initiator, 71%; 13–18 g scales) to give the secondary alkyl iodide ICH(CH2Rf8)2 (3). A subsequent Ni(Cl)2(PPh3)2-catalyzed reaction with allyl tri(n-butyl)tin yields the branched alkene H2CCHCH2CH(CH2Rf8)2 (74%). A palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling with OP(p-C6H4Br)3 gives the fluorous phosphine oxide OP(p-C6H4CHCHCH2CH(CH2Rf8)2)3 (84%), and Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation affords OP(p-C6H4(CH2)3CH(CH2Rf8)2)3 (>99%). Reduction with SiHCl3 gives P(p-C6H4(CH2)3CH(CH2Rf8)2)3, which is protected as the air-stable borane adduct H3B·P(p-C6H4(CH2)3CH(CH2Rf8)2)3 (9, 64%). The CF3C6F11/toluene partition coefficient of 9 is much higher than that of the analog with p-(CH2)3Rf8 groups (96.6:3.4 versus 37.3:62.7). The iodide 3 is unreactive towards PAr3 at 175–250 °C. However, a CuBr-catalyzed reaction with C6H5MgBr gives C6H5CH(CH2Rf8)2, which also exhibits a high partition coefficient (97.9:2.1).