Fluoroponytailed crown ethers and quaternary ammonium salts as solid-liquid phase transfer catalysts in organic synthesis.

Fluorous derivatives of dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether were prepared, and then successfully applied in representative solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis reactions, which were performed in standard organic solvents, such as chlorobenzene and toluene, as well as in fluorous solvents, such as perfluoro-1,3-dimethylcyclohexane. It was clearly shown that properly designed fluoroponytailed crown ethers could promote the disintegration of the crystal lattice of alkali salts, and transfer anions from the solid surface into an apolar, non-coordinating perfluorocarbon phase, for phase transfer catalysis reactions in organic synthesis. Furthermore, 3,5-bis(perfluorooctyl)benzyl bromide and triethylamine were reacted under mild conditions to provide an analogue of the versatile phase transfer catalyst, benzyltriethylammonium chloride, containing two fluoroponytails. This fluoroponytailed quaternary ammonium salt was also successfully employed as a catalyst in a variety of organic reactions conducted under solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis conditions, without a perfluorocarbon phase. Thus, being both hydrophobic and lipophobic, fluorous crown ethers and ammonium salts, could be rapidly recovered in quantitative yields, and reused without loss of activity, over several reaction cycles.