Selective Hydrofunctionalization of Alkenyl Fluorides Enabled by Nickel-Catalyzed Hydrogen Atoms and Group Transfer: Reaction Development and Mechanistic Study

Due to the unique effect of fluorine atoms, the efficient construction of high-value alkyl fluorides has attracted significant interest in modern drug development. However, enantioselective catalytic strategies for the efficient assembly of highly functionalized chiral C(sp³)-F scaffolds from simple starting materials have been underutilized. Herein, we demonstrate a nickel-catalyzed radical transfer strategy for the efficient, modular, asymmetric hydrogenation and hydroalkylation of alkenyl fluorides with primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl halides under mild conditions. The transformation provides facile access to various structurally complex secondary and tertiary α-fluoro amide products from readily available starting materials with excellent substrate compatibility and distinct selectivity. Furthermore, the utility of this method is demonstrated by late-stage modifications and product derivatizations. Detailed mechanistic studies and DFT calculations have been conducted, showing that the rate-determining step for asymmetric hydrogenation reaction is NiH-HAT toward alkenyl fluorides and the stereo-determining step is alcohol coordination to Ni-enolates followed by a barrierless protonation. The mechanism for the asymmetric hydroalkylation reaction is also delivered in this investigation.