Excerpt
Monofluorination is an important access to introduce fluorine atom into organic molecules, which is realized by the strategies employing diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST), tris(diethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate (TAS-F), hydrogen fluoride, etc. as reagents as shown in other entries of the book. BF
3.OEt
2 as an ubiquitous reagent is usually used as a Lewis acid in synthetic organic transformations. However, BF
3·OEt
2 may also serve as an effective nucleophilic fluoride source in the fluorination reaction owing to the property of boron to form ate complex with some Lewis bases and anions. The mechanism of BF
3 for fluoride transfer possibly involves a migration of the fluoride via an ate complex readily generated, trifluoroborate with the form of BF
3X
− (X = Lewis base). Because of its high fluoride content and easy handling in the reaction, the use of BF
3·OEt
2 as a fluorine source has attracted great attention of synthetic chemists. A comprehensive review has appeared regarding the application of boron trifluoride in the monofluorination reaction [
1]. This entry will focus on some synthetically useful applications of BF
3 in the synthesis of alkyl fluorides, and some recent examples are included. …