Regio- and Enantioselective Rhodium-Catalyzed Sulfonylation of gem-Difluorinated Cyclopropanes

Ring-opening functionalization of gem-difluorinated
cyclopropanes (gem-F2CPs) has become a
powerful strategy for constructing 2-fluorinated allylic frameworks.
However, most prior studies mainly form racemic monofluoroalkenes
with linear selectivity. In this study, we report a rhodium-catalyzed
highly enantioselective and regioselective sulfonylation of gem-F2CPs with readily available sodium sulfinates.
This method represents a general catalytic approach to access enantiomerically
enriched 2-fluorinated allylic sulfones, which are valuable structural
motifs found in many biologically active molecules. The reported method
operates under mild conditions, and the use of bulky Josiphos ligands
is crucial, accounting for the delivery of sulfonylated products with
good chemo-, regio-, and enantioselectivities.