Modular construction of fluoroarenes from a new difluorinated building block via cross-coupling/electrocyclisation/ dehydrofluorination reactions

Palladium-catalysed coupling reactions based on a novel and easy-to-synthesise difluorinated organotrifluoroborate were used to assemble precursors to 6π-electrocyclisations of three different types. Electrocyclisations took place at temperatures between 90 and 240 ^oC, depending on the central component of the π-system; non-aromatic trienes were most reactive, but even systems which required the temporary dearomatisation of two arenyl sub-units underwent electrocyclisation, albeit at elevated temperatures. Photochemical conditions were effective for these more demanding reactions. The package of methods delivered a structurally-diverse set of fluorinated arenes, spanning a 20 kcal mol^-1 range of reactivity, by a flexible route.