Preparation of fluoroalkenes via the Shapiro reaction: direct access to fluorinated peptidomimetics.

Fluoroalkenes represent a useful class of peptidomimetics with distinct biophysical properties. Current preparations of this functional group commonly provide mixtures of E- or Z-fluoroalkene diastereomers, and/or mixtures of nonfluorinated products. To directly access fluoroalkenes in good stereoselectivity, a Shapiro fluorination reaction was developed. Fluoroalkene products were accessed in one- or two-step sequences from widely available ketones. This strategy should be useful for the preparation of fluorinated analogs of peptide-based therapeutics, many of which would be challenging to prepare by alternate strategies.