Arene Amination Instead of Fluorination: Substitution Pattern Governs the Reactivity of Dialkoxybenzenes with Selectfluor

Abstract

Arene substitution patterns are well-known to affect the regioselectivity of a given transformation but not necessarily the type of reactivity. Herein, we report that the substitution pattern of alkoxyarenes dictates whether a putative one-electron or two-electron reaction predominates in reactions with Selectfluor. A series of amination products is presented, resulting from the single-electron oxidation of electron-rich arenes followed by direct C-H to C-N bond formation. We demonstrate the ability of this transformation to synthesize medicinally and biologically relevant nitrogen heterocycles. Lastly, this unusual "mechanistic switch" is probed with computational chemistry and competition experiments.