The presence of catalytic amounts of CeCl(3) improves yields and simplifies procedure in the Reformatsky reactions of ethyl bromofluoroacetate with aldehydes and ketones to generate diastereomeric mixtures of alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy esters, some of which can be separated by crystallization or column flash chromatography. Diastereomerically pure alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy acids are obtained by mild alkaline hydrolysis of the resolved alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy esters. Detailed NMR data of new alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy esters and alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy acids are also presented.

The synthesis and characterization of both diastereomers of a system comprised of two [2.2]paracyclophane units linked through a single 4,4' bond are described. Both the meso and d,l diastereomers of 4,4'-bis(octafluoro[2.2]paracyclophane) have been prepared via a palladium-catalyzed reductive homocoupling reaction by copper, producing a 3:2 ratio of meso and d,l diastereomers. A similar reductive homocoupling of pseudo-o-iodotrifluoromethyloctafluoro[2.2]paracyclophane gave only the analogous meso diastereomer. Single-crystal X-ray structures were obtained for all of the diparacyclophane products.