New method of fluorination using potassium fluoride in ionic liquid: Significantly enhanced reactivity of fluoride and improved selectivity

We have found the new nucleophilic fluorination reaction of some halo- and mesylalkanes to the corresponding fluoroalkanes with KF in the presence of [bmim][BF₄] under various reaction conditions. 2-(3-Methanesulfonyloxypropoxy)naphthalene (1) was used as a model compound to optimize this fluorination reaction. Whereas the fluorination of the mesylate 1 with KF in an organic solvent such as CH₃CN at 100 °C occurred hardly even after 24 h, the same reaction in ionic liquids, [bmim][BF₄], as a reaction solvent was completed within 1.5 h, affording the wanted product 2-(3-fluoropropoxy)naphthalene 2a (85%) together with the alkene byproduct 2c (10%). Very interestingly, however, the addition of water (5 equiv) completely eliminated the formation of the undesired alkene 2c and thus gave higher yield of 2a (92%, entry 2). The use of acetonitrile as a cosolvent did not affect the reactivity of the fluorination. The presence of a proper amount of cosolvent was rather desirable (94% yield of 2a). We performed fluorination reactions with other ionic liquids ([bmim][PF₆], [bmim][SbF₆], [bmim][OTf], and [bmim][N(Tf)₂], and two other cosolvents, to find the optimal ionic liquid and cosolvent. Nine different compounds were examined, including the 10 g-synthesis of 2-(fluoromethyl)naphthalene in 93% of isolated yield.