Polyfluoroether Derivatives via Nucleophilic Fluorination of Glyoxal Hydrates with Deoxofluor

Various glyoxal hydrates have been reacted with Deoxofluor [(CH(3)OCH(2)CH(2))(2)NSF(3)]. In concentrated solutions of dichloromethane, Deoxofluor (1) efficiently fluorinates a variety of glyoxal hydrates, RCOCHO.H(2)O (R = 4-methoxyphenyl, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl, 4-methylphenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, phenyl, 2-thienyl, methyl) (6a-g) to form polyfluoroethers 7a-g and 8a-g as meso and racemic mixtures (approximately 1:1) in good yields. The meso and racemic compounds were separated by flash chromatography and characterized. When the reactant comprised two different glyoxal hydrates, mixed polyfluoroethers (9h-j) were observed as the major products. The yields of the mixed polyfluoroethers depend on the ratio of the two different glyoxal hydrates used. Reactions of some other hydrates, such as hydrindantin dihydrate (10) and 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,2,4,4-pentanetetrol (11), were also studied with Deoxofluor to give a cyclic polyfluoroether (12) and beta-ketoamine (13), respectively. When the reactions of 6a-d were carried out under very dilute conditions, difluoro aldehydes (14a-d) or tetrafluoroalkanes (15a-d) were formed rather than polyfluoroethers. Reactions of concentrated solutions of nonhydrated glyoxals (16k-m) in methylene chloride with Deoxofluor produced the tetrafluoroalkanes (18k-m) in good yields with only trace amounts of difluoroaldehydes (17k-m) being found. The structures of 7a (meso), 8b (racemic), and 12 have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis.